Letter: agricultural support post-Brexit

DEAR SIR: The Brexit vote has opened the door for a radical review as to how food production in the UK is supported.

Whatever support system is agreed will have to satisfy the UK government, tax payers, the ever-increasing environmental lobby and most importantly, farmers, the custodians of mankind’s most important asset – the top nine inches of soil.

Over the years all types of support has been available – from deficiency payments to intervention buying, headage payments and most recently, area aid payments linked to a greening agenda. We also had capital grant schemes for nutrient storage and to modernise equipment. But none of these payments or schemes has specifically targeted progressive hard-working farmers who maintain their soil productivity status at its maximum. These are the farmers who should be backed. They can drive expansion.

Millions of pounds have been poured into the farm support basket, while at the same time soil fertility has been in decline. Water quality has suffered, which must be addressed, along with concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon footprint of agriculture.

The solution, as outlined in the land use strategy report prepared by John Gilliland and his expert group, is to support and encourage efficient farmers who make good use of nutrients, care about their soils and look after the environment.

I believe it is possible to design a “tick-box” spreadsheet, based on the latest scientific knowledge and technology in order to categorise each individual field in Northern Ireland into possibly five different categories based on soil analysis, soil type and quality of the sward. Parallel to that, the ability of each field to provide against defined environmental measures could also be assessed. There would then be a system of area payments based on each field’s rating. This does not mean that someone who farms in a marginal area gets low payments – they could still receive a higher payment if fields are in a state to produce maximum dry matter yield. Conversely, someone farming in the lowland might only get minimal payments if their land is run-down.

Who will benefit? Those who are looking after their land will be rewarded for their diligence and those not in the top bracket will have the option of getting there. But ultimately, taxpayers will see that their money is going to those who produce food efficiently and care for the environment. The Northern Ireland economy will benefit as strong farm businesses thrive. HMRC will receive more tax.

Who will lose out? Losing out will be farmers who do not care about soil fertility or the environment. Also, landowners who have consistently neglected their asset for short-term financial gain and civil servants who dream up a multitude of funding schemes for farmers – one long-term visionary programme with built-in incentives will do all.

If these suggestions were to be used as the basis for farm support going forward then we could lead Europe, even if it is from the outside.