Government aid is sought by farming associations to boost support for upland farmers
In a recent letter to Farming Minister Mark Spencer MP, Pasture for Life, a UK farming group advocating for upland livestock farmers primarily using permanent pasture, has called for a strategic approach to support prosperity in upland areas.
The letter, signed by Pasture for Life, along with the Sustain Alliance, Nature Friendly Farming Network, and the Tenant Farmers' Association, highlights several key proposals.
Firstly, Pasture for Life advocates for targeted funding options such as enhanced agri-environment schemes that reward sustainable pasture management, animal welfare, and biodiversity improvements specific to upland conditions.
Secondly, the group calls for support for traditional low-input grazing systems, ensuring upland farmers can maintain economically viable livelihoods while delivering environmental benefits.
Thirdly, Pasture for Life proposes payments reflecting the higher costs and constraints of upland farming, addressing income disparity between lowland and upland farmers.
Fourthly, the group encourages long-term stewardship payments rather than short-term grants, enabling better planning and resilience for upland farm businesses.
Lastly, Pasture for Life recommends simplifying bureaucracy and improving access to funding schemes tailored to upland farmers' needs.
If implemented, these initiatives could improve financial sustainability for upland farmers by recognising their unique challenges. They could also support environmental outcomes linked to permanent pasture, such as carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Moreover, they could strengthen upland rural communities economically by safeguarding farming livelihoods and reducing landscape abandonment, promoting positive land management in upland areas.
The letter suggests that this funding could come from sources such as the Shared Prosperity Funding or the development of a one-off targeted uplands resilience fund. It also proposes supporting local food supply as a means of support for upland farms and reinforces the proposal to invest in agri-environment tourism as a means of support.
The letter reiterates the need for better access to independent business resilience advice for upland farms and emphasises the importance of supporting local food supply as a means of support for upland farms. It also continues to advocate for the implementation of Rock Review recommendations and urges Defra to consider alternative supportive measures for upland areas beyond Environmental Land Management payments.
For precise details of the letter and its proposals, reviewing Pasture for Life's official communication or government press releases would be necessary. The current search results do not contain this level of detail.
- The letter, signed by Pasture for Life and other farming groups, involves advocating for policy-and-legislation changes that focus on supporting upland areas, including enhanced agri-environment schemes, long-term stewardship payments, and simplifying bureaucracy.
- The proposed policy-and-legislation changes in the letter, such as the Shared Prosperity Funding or a one-off targeted uplands resilience fund, aim to improve financial sustainability for upland farmers, support environmental outcomes, and strengthen rural communities.
