Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 3 December (HL10512), whether they will now answer the question put, namely what proposals they have (1) to encourage, or (2) to ensure that the environmental and other enhancements that will be included in Environmental Land Management Schemes will also take place on farmland where the owners and land managers have decided not to take part in such Schemes.

The Environmental Land Management scheme is being designed to be attractive to a wide range of farmers and land managers to deliver the environmental objectives of the scheme. To achieve this, we are working closely with a range of environmental and agricultural stakeholders to design the scheme collaboratively. The scheme will operate alongside other policies and schemes to meet the Government’s objectives.

We want to attract high uptake and achieve environmental outcomes at scale and so are developing an attractive, simple, trusted and relevant offer across the full range of schemes. Our Agricultural Transition Plan, published on 30 November, sets out details on the schemes which we are running to do this, with the three components of Environmental Land Management at the heart of this. However, we will also offer environmental schemes which cover farming in protected landscapes, and tree health, as well as grants which will help farmers to improve their efficiency and productivity while also benefiting the environment.

Whether or not farmers and land managers decide not to participate in a scheme, they will still be subject to the minimum basic requirements set out in domestic legislation to safeguard the environment, plant health and animal health and welfare. This underpins the move to payments for public goods. We will work with the sector to co-design and establish a new regulatory model for the long term. However, we will ensure that we always have a robust system of inspection and enforcement in place to maintain regulatory protections throughout the agricultural transition.