A new Payment by Results (PBR) scheme, spearheaded by Defra, will be the first Environmental Land Management (ELM) initiative directly funded by the UK and will mean that in future, farmers will be incentivised to earn more money by providing environmental benefits on their land.

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Farmers wanting practical guidance on the future of ELM are invited to attend the Energy and Rural Business Show, where Defra’s environmental land management programme manager, Marie Hall, will outline future prospects for farmers in her talk entitled ‘Environmental Land Management – a look at the government’s 25-year plan and the opportunities available’.

To test the new initiative, a new PBR pilot scheme has been given the green light and will take place to trial the ELM system and finetune it for future rollout across the UK.

All the funding for the PBR pilot will come from Defra, with a £540,000 boost to pay farmers according to the environmental outcomes they achieve over the next two years.

The project is paying participating farmers in two areas - Norfolk and Suffolk in the East of England and Wensleydale in Yorkshire - for work that is specifically tailored to the environmental needs of their area. For example, in Norfolk and Suffolk farmers are benefitting from planting nectar plots for bees and other pollinators, while those in Wensleydale are focused on managing species-rich meadows.¹

Speaking on the new pilot scheme, secretary of state for Defra, Michael Gove, said:

“Under the CAP, agri-environment schemes have been overly bureaucratic and inflexible. This has impeded innovation for farmers who are passionate about the environment and want to see real change.

“The Payment by Results pilot marks a shift in how we think about rewarding farmers for their work. This approach signals how we see the future of farm payments, where farmers deliver public goods for the environment which we all enjoy.”²

Energy and Rural Business Show is free to attend and takes place on February 6 and 7, in Telford International Centre.

The new show incorporates three Expos for the first time. Energy Now Expo, celebrating 10 years of success in 2019, will be joined by the Rural Business Expo and Low-Emission Vehicles Expo.

Energy Now Expo will feature an exhibition, a dedicated energy storage theatre, a one-to-one advice clinic, and conference streams devoted to each type of renewable energy. The Low Emission Vehicles Expo will have on-stand demos and presentations and the latest vehicles and machinery for rural businesses on show. Also new for 2019, The Rural Business Expo will have ‘how to’ workshops from industry experts and farmers who have implemented successful new business ventures or have integrated new projects with existing initiatives. 

The event is free to attend, and places can be booked today: http://www.energyandruralbusiness.co.uk/visit/register-to-visit.

1. Information extracted from a Press release issued by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Natural England, Yorkshire Dales National Park and The Rt Hon Michael Gove, Published 2 August 2018

Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environmental-farming-scheme-given-green-light

2. Information extracted from a Press release issued by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Natural England, Yorkshire Dales National Park and The Rt Hon Michael Gove, Published 2 August 2018

Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environmental-farming-scheme-given-green-light