Beef Expo 2012: Natural England is open for business

Farmers entering into environmental stewardship schemes have been assured there is continued funding available to support them.

Speaking to producers at Beef Expo, Natural England chairman Poul Christensen said the organisation would continue to run as normal, despite pressure for CAP Reform and

“It’s self evident that we are farming in a time of great change. And in my farming career, I don’t think I have seen quite so much economic uncertainty and change,” he said.

“The challenge is to produce more and impact less – that’s certainly where we are at with sustainable intensification. And my view is that we have to have food production and the environment, or we have neither.”

At present more than £400million of taxpayers’ money goes into environmental stewardship schemes which involve more than 44,000 farmers and account for 70% of the countryside.

“The government is fighting for ambitious CAP reform for better value for taxpayers’ money. But the message from us at Natural England is that environmental stewardship schemes are open for business; we are not shutting up shop. We have the security and the funding for all the payments we enter into now,” said Mr Christensen.

In addition to reassuring farmers their environmental funding would remain in place, he said the organisation was working to make it easier for producers to access the schemes, as well as working with industry groups to improve the delivery of these schemes.

He added: “Natural England on its own can deliver nothing – we need to work with farmers to make it happen. We want to make the best use of that £4million to maintain a sustainable, healthy, natural landscape alongside producing food that makes farmers’ a profit.”