Somerset farmers to lose £46m
Somerset NFU chair, dairy farmer Tom Kimber, claims that Somerset farmers are losing government subsidies.
The NFU say that farmers in our county received a total of £53.3m under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2020. This money funds work on ‘public goods’ like flood prevention. The scheme was designed to replace some of the European Union subsidies. It encourages and rewards farming that is helpful to the environment. Arable farmers for instance would be encouraged to grow 3 different crops and use 5% of their land to do specific things that are good for the environment.
However research commissioned by the NFU suggests that these amounts are going to plunge. The total BPS lost from the rural economy of Somerset by the end of 2027 will be £46m.
Mr Kimber notes “Farmers have tens of millions of pounds less to spend on materials and services. It is likely there will be a significant knock-on effect for jobs and the wider local economy. Food and drink manufacturing in the county, employs around 7,000 people and is worth about £360m to the economy.“
I live between two large dairy farms and can see no evidence either of them spending anything on flood prevention.