The government has been accused of breaking its promise to English farmers, with hundreds of millions of pounds missing from the farming budget.
Ministers had promised that by the end of this parliament, they would spend £2.4bn a year on agriculture. This money was to replace the EU’s common agricultural policy, which paid farmers for each hectare of land they managed. Instead, the government promised that farmers could improve the natural environment and be paid handsomely for delivering public goods, thus helping nature and keeping farms in business.
However, the government has still not spent the promised £2.4bn a year. Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show an underspend of £110m in 2021/22 and £117m in 2022/23, meaning £227m of promised funds have not been spent.
Agricultural businesses have been asked to sign up to environmental schemes in which they are paid for taking actions such as improving the soil and digging ponds, which are to replace the basic payments they received under direct subsidy. These direct payments are being phased out each year.
Read more at theguardian.com