Secretary of State Michael Gove gave a speech to the NFU Farming Conference 2018 which further elaborated on his view on the future of farming subsidies.
He noted that the ‘landscapes which draw tourists, from the Lake District to Dartmoor, the Northumberland coast to Pembrokeshire, depend on farmers for their maintenance and upkeep… We propose to progressively, transfer money away from BPS payments… towards the payment of public money for the provision of public goods….
We will guarantee all existing agri-environment schemes entered into before we leave the EU but, critically, we will also invite farmers, land owners and land managers to think creatively now, and to help us pilot new ways of investing in environmental enhancement and in other public goods… there are other public goods that we can all identify and debate how to support. But… public money is not inexhaustible so we must argue for this investment not just with passion but also precision…. We will outline in the consultation paper what we think could be covered by the definition of public goods and how payments could be made. But, again, the consultation paper is a contribution to the conversation, not the final word.’
The Heritage Alliance has consistently making the case in our meetings with Michael Gove and elsewhere that one of the key public goods which should be funded is rural heritage.
Patrick Begg, Outdoors and Natural Resources Director, National Trust [Alliance member] has offered his view on the speech here.