MPs investigate how Defra can support upland farming
The EFRA Committee will question experts and representatives of upland farmers and land managers to understand the support they need and the challenges they face from government policy.
MPs will examine problems affecting the viability of upland farming, such as difficulties in accessing funding from environmental schemes and the impact of cuts to direct payments.
Events
The cross-party Committee will also look at land designations, such as National Park, National Landscape and Site of Special Scientific Interest, and consider whether the protections strike the right balance in supporting the environment without overly burdening farmers.
The Committee has also consistently heard evidence of tension between land managers and Natural England. Witnesses may be asked for their views on the organisation’s interventions on livestock numbers, consents for farming operations and its understanding of upland community life.
There may also be questions on anecdotal evidence that tenant farmers and farmers on common land have been displaced by landowners changing their business models.