14th October 2021

Following from last week’s release on the Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP) as we look forward to the future, many of you will be aware by now, there has been significant change within the Government support and funding available to farmers in the last year, leaving many farmers and other related jobs within and around agriculture uncertain of the times ahead.

For some 128,000 Farmers using the BPS Scheme which has the confirmed ceiling set for 2021 of £1,845,156,000 will lead to definite change in the approach to which many farmers have and will take over the coming years. The Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP) taking place between 2021-2024, has seen great reduction in the payments received by farmers already. Although the schemes recently released by DEFRA, have certainly provided more reassurance for many farmers, and plenty of opportunity within the agricultural sector. For the majority of these incentives, they will come into action end of 2021, early 2022 with DEFRA set to release a more informative update very soon.

In many ways Farmers should see this approach as an opportunity for the future, and a great incentive to use the new schemes and incentives being put on offer. Understandingly there is a great amount of concern, but the Government have also provided many resources to help aid Farmers, like the BPS calculator, which can help predict and help farmers forecast up until 2027. The Agricultural Transition Plan (ATP) is set to remove the Government from spending “£2.4 billion per year in Common Agricultural Policy” and instead “reward farmers” for “producing goods on their land”. The highlighting areas such as, environmental, air and water quality, biodiversity, climate and beauty and natural heritage which all have direct links to farming.

DEFRA has split the schemes and funding into 3 sectors:-

• Environmental land management schemes
• New prosperity and Productivity funding
• Direct payments, lumps sums and delinking

They aim to form a “competitive and vibrant” agricultural sector, with specific focus on “Climate Change and Environmental and Animal Welfare”.  It is important that Farmers and other land managers recognise that DEFRA are working on behalf of the Government to give the best possible support and advice for the UK Agricultural industry which from Brexit, has and will see numerous, but valuable changes.

On reflection, it has proven that the farming industry and Farmers are very dependent on the current BPS scheme, showing how much the Government support the farming industry. Farmers should definitely see this positively, knowing there is always support to  be used and accessed. As DEFRA have highlighted “Farmers and Land Managers will be rewarded for doing even more to improve the environment whilst producing high quality food and other products”. The sooner we as a sector can get involved and react on the incentives given, the more and more the Agricultural and land sectors will benefit from this, leading the “Farmers feeling informed, empowered and enthused” about the industry they work so hard in.  

Roger Parry and Partners have a wide breadth of experience and are more than happy to help with any enquiries towards the grants and incentives available. Last year alone Roger Parry and Partners submitted applications on behalf of farmers and other related land managers amounting to over £190,000 of income for farmer and over £90,000 worth of capital items.

For any further questions please contact;

Pip Maddocks- philippamaddocks@rogerparry.net Or, Oswestry Office- 01691 655 334, oswestry@rogerparry.net