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

To ask His Majesty's Government what specific steps they are taking to enable farmers and land managers to plan long-term on the basis of clarity on the future of financial support for environmental schemes, including transitioning from existing ones.

We know farmers require stability in order to make long-term plans. We said we would provide stability for farmers and we are delivering on this commitment. We have confirmed that the first Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements of the 2024 offer are now live. We will confirm plans for rollout of schemes and our wider approach as soon as possible.

The Government is fully committed to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, which it will optimise in an orderly way, over time. We will work with the sector to make sure schemes produce the right outcomes for all farmers, including small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms, supporting food security and nature’s recovery in a just and equitable way. Spending on farming in future financial years will be confirmed as part of the Government’s spending review.