The meeting, which took place on NFU member Helen Drinkall鈥檚 farm, gave the Defra team the opportunity to see the realities of farming in the uplands and the current barriers of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for upland businesses1.
NFU Deputy President David Exwood said: 鈥淚t was a great opportunity to have the Minister and Defra Director out on farm in Lancashire. They saw for themselves the vital role upland farmers play in producing food while also being stewards of some of the country鈥檚 most cherished landscapes.
鈥淔or ELMs to be a success it has got to work for all farm businesses, including those in the uplands. While NFU campaigning has led to positive increases in the number of options available for upland farmers under SFI, there still remains challenges about how hill farming businesses will be profitable while working to the income forgone model.聽
鈥淲e need to give upland farmers confidence and certainty by seeing a clear strategy from Defra on its vision for the future of the uplands. The creation of an uplands working group is also key to ensuring upland businesses are part of the solution to Defra鈥檚 environmental ambitions.鈥�