Environmental Land Management Scheme ELMS

The government has published a policy and progress update, Farming for the Future (2020), which updated the policy statement published in 2018. The statement provides information on how the policies after Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will ensure increased productivity, more research and development (R&D) support, and better animal health and welfare.

The government has also set out new details on future Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS), which aims to pay farmers for works that improve the quality of the environment. The main aim of the future ELMS is to reward farmers, foresters and land managers to deliver environmental improvements with public money.

ELMS will deliver on the government's policy document, A Green Future: Our 25 year plan to improve the environment (25 year plan), which applies principally to England and to support the government net zero targets.

Alongside this, the government launched an online consultation on 25 February 2020 seeking a discussion on the proposals for designing the future ELMS. The results of the consultation will be used to assist in forming a national pilot due to begin in late 2021.

Visit https://consult.defra.gov.uk/elm/elmpolicyconsultation/

The consultation closes on 5 May 2020.

Source: Defra: Environmental land management: policy discussion (25 February 2020).