Posted on behalf of Senior Policy Officer Tom Lancaster
We’re often told by politicians at Westminster that ‘Brexit means Brexit’; but what does Brexit actually mean, and what does it mean for farming, land use and nature?
Cattle grazing in cirl bunting habitat (RSPB-images.com)
The outcome of the referendum result has created a shift so massive that few, if any, are yet able to comprehend what it will mean for farming and the environment in the UK. So without sounding like a cop out, I’m afraid there’s no way to answer this question at the moment!
There was though some good news over the weekend that should at least allay some of the short-term uncertainty. The UK Treasury guaranteed that all agri-environment agreements signed before the autumn this year will be “...fully funded, even when these projects continue beyond the UK's departure from the EU.”
In England, this looks like it amounts to a guarantee that all of those Entry and Higher Level Stewardship (ELS and HLS) agreements currently in place will be honoured. This is great news, and a welcome recognition from the Westminster Government of the great outcomes that many farmers have delivered through these schemes.
Image: RSPB-images.com
Looking ahead, it should also mean that farmers and land managers in England can progress with mid and higher-tier Countryside Stewardship applications this year. We read the Treasury’s announcement on agri-environment as a commitment to funding schemes in England beyond 2020. With this in mind, and with the “current level of agricultural funding under CAP Pillar 1” only guaranteed until 2020 – at which point we should transition to domestic arrangements – to us at least, it looks like agri-environment schemes are a safe bet in uncertain times.
The situation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is less clear cut, but the Treasury’s decision to underwrite agri-environment payments now and in the future should give devolved Governments all the certainty they need to guarantee existing agreements. The announcement should also enable them to commit to new schemes this year, and we hope that they will push the Westminster Government to provide assurances over funding for new agreements in the next few years.
Corncrake habitat created on Balnahard Farm Image: RSPB-images.com
There is still work to do to clarify some of the fine print, and we will need to work hard to win Government support for these schemes in the years ahead, and not just this year, but this news provide welcome short-term clarity for those doing the most for the farmed environment.
Looking ahead, the picture gets altogether more fuzzy. It’s no secret that we haven’t been the biggest fans of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) over the years. Given that, the outcome of the referendum should be an opportunity to fundamentally reform agriculture policy, and to reorient it around supporting environmental land management and the promotion of more sustainable farming methods. This should sit alongside steps to improve the way the market works for farmers and the environment to ensure that farmers get a fair return for their produce.
But it’s not just a replacement for the CAP that everyone interesting in farming and the countryside will have to think about. Areas such as trade policy, which have been EU competencies for over 40 years, will now come back to the UK. What sort of arrangement we come to with the European Single Market, and how tariffs are applied (or not) will have a major impact on farming, and therefore on nature.
We don’t pretend to know how this will all play out, and we’re a long way off being able to answer the question in the title of this blog. What is clear though is that all of us who care about nature and sustainable farming will have to have to bring our A-game if we’re to realise the opportunities the referendum provides, whilst seeing off some of the risks that we now face.