Broken Promises as Lowland Commons excluded from Defra’s Newest Scheme

The Foundation for Common Land issued this Press Release on Defra’s Latest Policies (30/06/2021)

Defra has today announced the early roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive from 2022. Low input and unimproved grasslands – some of our most precious habitats for wildlife – are to be excluded from SFI22. This is despite Defra’s commitment that all BPS applicants would be able to apply including those in existing Stewardship Schemes. 

Much of our lowland unimproved grassland is Common Land including the 20,000 ha of the New Forest as well the Malvern Hills and Minchinhampton, the Devon heathlands and Cumbria’s coastal marshes. The farmers and commoners managing this land, like all farmers, will be losing their BPS over the next seven years but unlike farmers on improved grassland, arable land and moorland they will not have the opportunity through SFI22 to be rewarded for public goods not yet paid for by existing Stewardship Schemes. 

This shows a lack of imagination by Defra. There are six baskets of public goods that Defra can pay for yet the focus for SFI22 appears to be limited to biodiversity. A SFI Standard could have been offered for many public goods without double funding, e.g. for improved organic matter, natural flood management, heritage and landscape. 

Julia Aglionby, Executive Director of the Foundation for Common Land commented; “This is a broken promise by this Government. The Agricultural Transition Plan says; ‘Initially, all farmers currently in receipt of the Basic Payment Scheme will be eligible [for SFI}, including those already in land management schemes such as Countryside Stewardship.’ This is clearly not true if you farm unimproved lowland grassland. Our concern is that these most special places will be at risk as farmers come under pressure due to declining incomes as BPS is phased out. Lowland Commons deliver so much for nature, climate, and people especially during Covid; why would you disadvantage them?”