Member

The failure to ensure that these alternative schemes are accessible leaves thousands of farmers in limbo. As my honourable friend Tim Farron MP pointed out in the Commons debate on this regulation, entry to the new schemes has favoured larger landowners and corporates who have the resources to navigate the system. Meanwhile, the typical farmer outside the scheme is isolated, struggling with the sheer workload and unable to afford that kind of professional help. The figures bear this out. Before the SFI closure, a mere 40 entrants out of the 6,100 recorded were from moorland areas. This is not a mere transition; this is forcing families who have farmed for generations off their land.