CPRE [1] reacting to today’s (Thursday) announcement [2] by Defra expressed grave doubts about whether there will be enough money to deliver all the ambitions of the Government’s green farming scheme.

Ian Woodhurst, CPRE’s senior farming campaigner said: ‘We’re pleased that Defra has increased the amount of funding going into the Environmental Stewardship [3] green farming scheme that rewards farmers for good management of our countryside.’

He continued: ‘But we know that farmers’ enthusiasm to join the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship scheme and the importance of its objectives, means that the money has to stretch a long way. Our landscapes, wildlife sites, historic features, public access and soil and water resources all need protecting. On top of this the scheme may also need to address the effects on the countryside of climate change.’

The Government was counting on being able to transfer a lot more money [4] from farmers’ direct payments into its green farming scheme. But it ran into trouble getting approval to do this from the European Parliament.

‘We hope that the Government seizes the opportunity presented by the EU Budget Review in 2009 [5] to get a fairer slice of EU funding for the UK so that Environmental Stewardship is sufficiently funded to achieve its ambitions,’ Ian Woodhurst concluded.

Research in Living Landscapes [6], a joint CPRE/NFU report published in July 2006, showed that farmers undertake around £412 million pounds worth of landscape management every year outside green farming schemes. CPRE believes it is vital that future European farming reforms ensure farmers can continue to manage our precious countryside.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. In a Parliamentary Written Statement issued today, 29 March, David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, set out the amount of money that will be allocated to the new Rural Development Programme for England that will run from 2007-13. The programme will have a budget of £3.9 billion of which around £3.3 billion will be spent on environmental measures including the Environmental Stewardship agri-environment scheme. For further information please see the website Defra: Written Statement from David Miliband on voluntary modulation and the new Rural Development Programme for England.

3. Environmental Stewardship has two tiers Entry Level and Higher Level. The top tier Higher Level Scheme of Environmental Stewardship, rewards farmers for managing the most important landscapes and wildlife habitats.

4. A meeting of the European Agriculture Council on Monday 19 March agreed a compromise proposal between the European Commission and the European Parliament, which had been blocking 20% of the European Union’s Rural Development Budget. The Parliament had been concerned that the ability for some Member States to transfer, or ‘modulate’, a percentage of CAP payments to pay for rural development measures, which includes the Environmental Stewardship Scheme might be contrary to the purposes of the CAP. The Government can also match the amount of money that is transferred or ‘modulated’ to rural development measures.

5. There will be a review of the European Union’s Budget in 2009 where further reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy and Rural Development budgets will be discussed.

6. The Living Landscapes report is available as a free download from CPRE’s website.