TENANT FARMERS AND THE UPLANDS ENTRY LEVEL SCHEME

Motion Text

That this House notes the importance of upland farming to UK agriculture, the rural economy, countryside access and the UK's landscape heritage, but acknowledges the very low incomes of many upland farmers; welcomes the new Upland Entry Level Scheme (UELS) but is concerned by figures that show that 34 per cent. of hill farmers who received payments through the predecessor scheme, the Hill Farm Allowance, are not in the new UELS; further notes that one barrier to entry is that many tenant farmers are on short-term land agreements and are thus ineligible for payments through the UELS, forcing them to rely solely on the Single Farm Payment; and calls on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make the necessary changes to ensure that hill farmers on short-term land agreements are able to access support.