Member

Perhaps most shocking is the revelation from Defra itself that 7% to 8% of farms will not survive this process. This is extraordinary. We know exactly where the farms that are most at risk are: in the uplands, in severely disadvantaged areas, and in places such as the lakes and dales, where farmers are already struggling. Currently, farm business income equates to 74% of the minimum wage. Modelling as a result of this change predicts that this is likely, in two years’ time, to plummet to a jaw-dropping 55%. These cuts will force farmers to sell up, often to corporates which are acquiring land for tax-efficient purposes, with no desire to produce food or foster our natural environment.