Farming & Subsidies

Comments around farming showed support for the farming community and recognised that they hold many of the solutions. The comments also reflected the requirement for agriculture to adapt in the face of climate change and the role the local community could play in supporting this shift.

This theme represents a large number of comments, so it has been broken down into sections:

• Subsidies

• Land Management

• Farmer Comments

• Community Relationships

Subsidies:

There were comments on using new subsidy schemes to enable land on floodplains to be used to alleviate flooding, with farmers being paid to provide that service:

“More use of flooded fields and compensation for farmers.”
“Floodwater storage on agriculture land/payment for landowners.”
”'Farming water' – Funding farming practice to store water.”

However, some comments highlighted the issues with subsidies:

“Land owners often taking subsidies rather than farmers.”
”Payments should do to those that actually farm it.”
”SL&M farmers often unproductive and just getting by.”
”Farmers often working second jobs.”
”Year by year planning – small farms unlikely to have a business plan due to uncertainties.”

Land Management:

Others showed a desire for changes to land management - the planting of maize was a key issue in both the public and councillor events, and there were calls for more trees and increased biodiversity:

“Land management, tree planting, agricultural changes.”
“Better land management. Use some for holding water/trees etc to better manage.”
“Sensitive land management to retain water for longer.”

There was also an desire for the restoration of historic landscape features, such as dew ponds and hedgerows:

 “Assist/persuade farmers to reintroduce hedgerows and bring back smaller fields.”
“Bring back dew ponds.”
“…work with nature to restore the moorland.”
”Peat – drying has caused subsidence / carbon loss.”

Farmer Comments:

While at the Councillor meetings some local farmers shared some of the challenges they face and ideas they have:

“Neighbouring farms want different water levels – not sustainable at present.”
”Land swaps for easier water level management?”

”Keep farmyards out of the water.”

”Govt should encourage farmers with better land to increase productivity, to let go of poor ground.”
”Payments required to keep farmers on the land – abandonment would potentially negatively affect wildlife.”
”Low stocking rate – beef + finished elsewhere.”
”Diversification – examples such as guiding for birdwatching.”
“Farming community feel they have little influence.”

Community Relationships:

Some called for practical ways to support local farms by increasing access to local foods:

“Local food production. Support local initiatives for improving biodiversity.”
“More local food outlets & publicity.”
”Subsidies: 60% of SL&M farmers dependent.”
”Environmental Land Management Scheme – payment for water storage.”

Other comments called for better relationships between the farming community and wider rural community:

“Reduce the 'us and them' with the local farmers.”
“Stop blaming farmers for problems we all created and need to solve together.”

There was also a questions about the sustainability of current practices:

 “How do we change farming, so that it suits the new climate and is part of the solution not the problem?”
“Are current farming practices sustainable?”