November 01, 2024

01/11/24 Budget: upland farmers and environmental schemes, tax rules, home nations. Soil surveys

13 minutes

As part of the budget, farmers in England have been told direct payments will be phased out more quickly than originally planned.

Under the EU system farmers were paid subsidy based on the amount of land they farmed - that system is being replaced with new schemes, which are different in the four nations of the UK. In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland farmers continue to get direct payments at the moment. In England the phase out started in 2021. So many farmers are already getting around half what they used to, with payments ending in 2027.

In England, the biggest reductions will be for the farmers who historically got the biggest payments. We speak to an upland farmer whose old payments are ending but he says there aren't any new schemes he can apply for yet, so he's losing tens of thousands of pounds.

Changes to inheritance tax and agricultural property relief were also announced in the budget. We speak to a rural property expert about what impact those changes will have. Farming unions say farmers and their families may have to sell up to pay the tax.

NFU Scotland gives their reaction to the budget.

All week we've been focusing on soils. A project to analyse soil health with a view to improving the environment and profitability has been taken up by hundreds of farmers. Technicians go on to farms to look at what might be done to improve the land and make it more sustainable. Lloyds Bank is paying for some of its customers to take part in the audit which is carried out by the Soil Association Exchange.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith

Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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