This February, Belgian farmers sprayed riot police with manure. In Wales, hundreds of tractors blocked roads and in France, hay bales littered the centre of Paris. All these protests were linked to proposals for more environmental measures. As Nick Grayson, a tenant farmer and chairman of Future Farmers Yorkshire put it, “Farmers are getting a little fed up.”
In recent months sustained action across Europe points to an industry in crisis. From groups like No Farmers No Food which has been linked to climate denial campaigners, to the Welsh farmers’ opposition to their new Sustainable Farming Scheme, it can look as if we are entering into an era of agriculture versus the environment. But if we look closer, the Yorkshire farmers help to reveal a more complex picture – of an industry fighting multiple complex challenges while trying to integrate environmental solutions.
They are tired of the blame for climate change and environmental degradation being laid at their door. “Nobody really understands that we are probably one of the biggest answers to it. The soil is a farmer’s living”, says Grayson. He argues that it’s the last 50 to 60 years of government policy and the demand for cheap food that has resulted in unsustainable practices, not bad management by people who work the land.
Changing climate
Farmers face continual problems. “We are in the hands of the government and the weather gods, neither of which we can really control”, says Grayson. He doesn’t feel protests are the solution because dramatic action, like that seen in Europe, doesn’t win much support from the public.
While there are debates about the best way to reward farmers for sustainable methods, the need for action isn’t questioned. Alex Fraser took over Denby Hall Farm in 2018 alongside his wife and brother. He says:
“Since we’ve taken on the farm all kinds of met office records have been broken. The driest springs or wettest summers are a big challenge for us, but that’s not unlike any other farmer.
“All the numbers tell us that the weather is changing and I think we urgently need to find resilient farming models that can cope with that.”
Support for organics
Coming fresh from former careers as doctors to becoming producers of organic crops on the 260-acre holding, neither Fraser nor his partner had any prior knowledge of farming. It was a challenge even to pick up the basics, but he sees advantages to their situation: “It was also a huge benefit to start farming without any preconceptions about how things should be done. I think that is what has set us up to do things differently.”
They focus on environmentally sympathetic methods that boost biodiversity and water quality and are carbon negative. The farm planted over 3,000 trees last winter in what was their largest arable field, previously just one big monoculture. Through winter they hosted 80 volunteers who came to help plant the trees and see first-hand what an organic farm looks like.
Fraser says: “We’re very grateful for the support that is out there to organic farmers. And we think it encapsulates the greater benefits to society and to the climate that organic farming offers.”
Actions and outcomes
Others are less positive. Professor Ian Bateman, an environmental economist who has advised seven secretaries of state, argues that although subsidies equalling £3.7mn have been reallocated to environmental actions, they have not been good value either for the taxpayer or for farmers. He explains:
“What is rarely talked about is if you have a scheme which pays the same amount everywhere, then the more land you’ve got, the more money you can get, which is disadvantaging smaller farmers.” He thinks the system needs a radical transformation.
So far, government schemes have paid for actions rather than outcomes and the same amount per hectare everywhere. This can result, for example, in farmers taking action on biodiversity where it isn’t appropriate. The recent introduction of environmental land management (ELM) schemes was intended to make things more flexible and outcome-focused but Bateman feels that the way they’re being implemented isn’t necessarily producing this.
Group benefits
Chris Harrap, head of estates at Tyers Hall Farm and co-facilitator of the Dearne Valley Farmers cluster group, grew tired of waiting for the new ELM schemes to be implemented and instead entered into the countryside stewardship scheme. It was a big change moving from area payments to being paid for environmentally positive practice but he says a lot of the work was already being done.
Membership of this kind of group brings farmers together, pooling knowledge of soil health, biodiversity enhancement, regenerative agriculture and natural flood management. The group that Harrap co-facilitates planted 7km of hedgerows this winter. He is clear:
“Farmers are stewards of our landscape and they know that farming sustainably is key to their future, but we must ensure they are supported in these efforts, not just by government policy, but also by paying a fair price for the food they produce.”
Real price of food
He points out the disconnect between the farmer producing the food and us consumers buying the food off the shelves: “The supermarkets have significant buying power, which also means they have a responsibility to give farmers longer-term, predictable, stable contracts.”
International market competition, especially with some recent trade deals allowing imports of food produced to lower standards, can leave UK farmers unable to compete. Harrap admits solutions are complex:
“The price of food should factor in the real costs of production, and any resulting benefits. Produce from nature-friendly farming methods seems expensive, especially in a cost of living crisis, but studies show it is actually cheaper, all things considered.”
Some popular measures
Jenny Palmer is the agricultural officer for The Don Catchment Rivers Trust, who support farmers in reducing water pollution from agriculture. She also co-facilitates the farms cluster. Their remit is environmental improvements, especially concerning the river, so they welcome Defra’s new schemes and the sustainable farming incentive (SFI). Palmer says,
“Following the increase in SFI payment rates and the wet winter, a lot of farmers within the cluster group are applying for the SFI scheme at the moment, the winter bird food and legume fallow actions are particularly popular.”
She adds that their members are currently exploring whether biodiversity net gain (all new building projects to achieve a 10% increase in biodersity or habitat) can be used to support the implementation of environmentally friendly measures on farmland within the catchment.
What will the future look like for farming? The multiple challenges will likely remain but more solutions and opportunities for farmers to transform practices are being presented every day. Grayson concludes, “In 10 years, it could be a completely different industry but those who manage to make it will be doing really well for themselves.”
