Fury Grows as Chancellor Reeves Plans Cuts to Nature-Friendly Farming Scheme

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Fury Grows as Chancellor Reeves Plans Cuts to Nature-Friendly Farming Scheme

 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing fresh backlash from rural communities and farming advocates after reports emerged suggesting she plans to significantly scale back a flagship environmental funding programme for farmers. The environmental land management (ELM) scheme, introduced after Brexit to replace the EU’s common agricultural policy, is now reportedly set for major cuts in the upcoming departmental budget announcement.

 

Currently, the ELM scheme provides crucial support to all farms across the UK, with £5 billion earmarked to be distributed between last year and 2026. The initiative is designed to reward farmers, landowners, and foresters for promoting sustainability, restoring ecosystems, and contributing to environmental improvements through projects that benefit the public and nature alike. However, according to The Guardian, this vital lifeline may soon be restricted only to “small farms,” in a shift that critics argue would undermine its core purpose.

 

While both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury declined to comment, a government insider confirmed the report’s accuracy. This development follows previous tensions between the Government and the agricultural sector, particularly after Reeves’ controversial inheritance tax policy that was seen as detrimental to family farms.

 

The proposed cutbacks come amid broader pressures on the public purse, as ministers across departments face a tightening fiscal environment. With unprotected departments bracing for real-term budget cuts toward the end of the decade, Reeves is expected to reveal full departmental spending plans on June 11.

 

Victoria Atkins, Conservative shadow environment secretary, was scathing in her response. “Once again, the Chancellor is going to use her spending review to escalate her war on farmers. This is just another example of Labour’s chaotic approach to our countryside,” she said. “Labour’s lack of understanding about our rural communities is putting our nation’s food security at risk. They need to come clean about their definition of a ‘small farm’ so they do not catch more farmers by surprise with their shambolic mismanagement. It is a betrayal as they are upending the principled approach of rewarding farmers for looking after the land whilst growing food, which is a clear Brexit benefit – or should be.”

 

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats’ environment spokesperson, echoed those concerns, warning of devastating consequences for the countryside. “The Government is treating rural communities with gobsmacking contempt. If this comes to pass, ministers would be putting yet another nail in the coffin of farming in this country. Many farmers are barely making ends meet, working for half the minimum wage – yet they still tirelessly maintain our countryside, and it is their stewardship that allows us all to enjoy its beauty. With these cuts, those same farmers will simply not be able to protect nature in this way any more,” he said. “The Government’s utter failure to understand rural communities risks decimating them. At the spending review, we cannot see farmers come under siege once more, and these cuts cannot come to pass.”

 

The ELM programme is widely regarded as a landmark attempt to align agricultural policy with environmental sustainability, promoting what is known as “public money for public good.” Payments are granted to those who manage land in a way that supports nature recovery, improves the ecosystem, and makes lasting, positive changes to land use. Should larger farms be excluded from these payments, critics argue, the integrity and effectiveness of the programme could be fatally undermined.

 

Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers’ Union, expressed grave concern. “If this story proves to be correct, it will be another blow not just for farmers and growers but also for the viability of nature-friendly farming and for the environment,” he said. “If this is a move away from the principle of public money for public environmental goods, towards a more socially focused policy, it is misjudged, because farms of all sizes have a critical role in helping deliver for food, nature and climate.”

 

With the full details of the spending review still under wraps, government officials have so far refrained from publicly addressing the reported changes. But as tension rises in rural Britain, the Chancellor’s next move could define her standing with one of the UK’s most vital, and vocal, communities.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Telegraph  2025-05-30

 

 

[JonnyF]

Wow - she's really going after the farmers - it's almost like she's forcing them to sell up and do something else.

 

Can't imagine why...

 

 

 

[jippytum]

Clarkson,'s farm highlighted the benifits in esp four.  Jeremy should have kept quiet. 

[Thingamabob]

Reeves once again demonstrating her Marxist background.