PRESS RELEASE- New ELM Options for the Hills & Commons: The Emperor’s New Clothes?

From Julia Aglionby Foundation for Common Land 26/01/23

NEW ELM OPTIONS FOR THE HILLS & COMMONS: THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES? 

 Today Therese Coffey announced the culmination of her government’s five year’s work since the publication of Health & Harmony in early 2018. What does it comprise? More on an Emperor’s New Clothes than a new dawn. 250 existing Countryside Stewardship (CS) options, a further 30 new CS options and six new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Standards. 

 “The Foundation for Common Land considers there is little new here to entice hill farmers and lowland commoners to enhance our much loved commons,” said Chris Short, Chair of the Foundation for Common Land. “Farmers and landowners were already able to apply for these options under CS so why would we see substantially more take up of schemes by changing the name on the tin?

 Julia Aglionby, Executive Director of the Foundation for Common Land added, “This announcement is a massive missed opportunity to grow our green economy and the natural health service commons provide as well as the urgent need to prioritise making our landscapes more resilience to climate change. The approach the government is taking in England to phasing out direct payments will see upland and lowland commoners lose 80% of their farm business income by 2028. Today they expected to learn how they could evolve their farming to deliver more public goods, making landscapes more resilient, secure viable businesses and the future of commons. They will be underwhelmed.”

 Many commons are already in existing schemes so cannot apply for SFI as that would be double funding. Low input grassland is a precious declining resource for nature and addressing our biodiversity targets. The new SFI option is simply existing CS options rebadged with the same payment rates and broadly similar requirements.

 Commons comprise 21% of our land designated for nature and 40% of our open access land. Yet this government continues to trap those who manage these areas in with payment rates linked to the income foregone from marginal sheep and cattle businesses rather than the value of what they provide society for access, nature and carbon storage. Society, communities and the planet will be the losers from this low ambition scheme.