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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a further reduction in income for upland farmers on ecosystem services and landscape management.

We have recently increased the direct payment rates for upland farmers under Pillar 1 of the Common Agricultural Policy to ensure they are distributed more equitably across all English farms. These increases will help prevent a fall in income for upland farmers following the expiry of existing support under the Uplands Entry Level Scheme.

Upland farmers are also eligible to apply for support under the new Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme, which is focused on improving biodiversity and water quality, mitigating flood risks and enhancing the landscape.

We will monitor the impact on upland farmers of these changes to Common Agricultural Policy support arrangements.