Defra Secretary, Steve Reed, addressed a packed Groundswell audience in the Big Top yesterday. He said, “food security is national security,” but “it’s only by restoring nature that we can make our food secure.” To achieve that, farm businesses need to be profitable. Reed said, “I see it as central to my job to help make farming profitable.”
Pioneers and innovators
Reed said that he recognised the innovative work that was being shared and demonstrated at Groundswell.
“This is where the big ideas are taking shape,” he said. It’s where to find the “the pioneers and innovators who are shaping the future of British farming.”
He said, “You’ve been the ones to break the mould, championing the vital role of nature in sustainable food production from the start – the pioneers of an agricultural transition that must be just and must recognise the importance of community and tradition as we shape that future.”
Ecological security
Reed addressed the issue of food security, explaining that nature was central to this objective. He said, “Protecting British food security has never been more important. We’ve just had our warmest spring on record. Flooding is on the rise. Geopolitical events are threatening global food supply chains.
“Food security is national security. And you, more than anyone, know it’s only by restoring nature that we can make our food secure. Restoring nature is central to the government’s approach.”
Early closure of SFI-25
Reed spoke unapologetically about the controversy caused by the early closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). He said, “There are now over 39,000 SFI agreements producing fantastic results for nature. That’s something to celebrate. We’ve got the money out the door into farmers’ bank accounts, and I’m proud of that. But once you’ve spent a budget, you can’t keep spending it or you damage the economy, and we’re not doing that.
“Those farmers who missed out at the time the scheme closed to new applicants will be able to make claims once it reopens. But budgets can’t be unlimited, so we need to make sure we focus that public money where it’s going to make the biggest impact.”
The future of SFI
The Defra Secretary also said that he wanted the future SFI to focus on water quality and biodiversity. He said, “Later this summer, I will provide more details of our reformed SFI offer. Our reformed SFI will maximise benefits for the environment, particularly around water quality and biodiversity, so we can clean up our polluted rivers, welcome wildlife back to farms, and strengthen the natural foundations that are vital to sustainable food production.”
He said, “We will simplify the SFI and support farmers to take on packages of actions which, when done together, achieve more for nature.
“More environmental benefits, a simpler offer, supporting farmers through the transition, a focus on profitability, and visibility of the overall budget so we get it out the door and you know when it’s going to be fully allocated. This will be the shape of our reformed SFI.”
NFU Deputy President, David Exwood, responded. He said, “It’s encouraging to hear the Defra Secretary reaffirm his commitment to ELMs and the principle of rewarding farmers for the public goods they deliver for the environment while producing food for the nation.
“While the Defra Secretary’s remarks are broad, they lack the clarity needed as cashflow pressures mount and direct payments rapidly decline. Farmers now need to see detail on the future shape of SFI so they can better understand how it will work for them.”
Exwood said that while the NFU supported the government’s ambitions on farm profitability, it was concerned that the new SFI would be targeted rather than universally available.
He said, “We firmly share Defra’s ambition to support profitable and sustainable farm businesses. Achieving that goal depends on making the SFI scheme work for all farmers, regardless of size, sector, or location. If the aim is for SFI to help farming deliver environmental benefits, then excluding large areas of English farmland from the scheme would be counterproductive.”