William Chase takes aim at Labour's deciion to pause nature-friendly farming scheme (Image: Willy's ACV/Getty)
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Tyrrells crisps founder William Chase has slammed Labour’s decision to suddenly halt new applications for a farming scheme as “an environmental killer." The family farmer, who creates Willy’s apple cider vinegar from orchards on his 300-acre family farm, said he would have to go from 20 employees to about 12 because of the move.
The Government earlier this month stopped new applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) without giving any notice - despite a statement on its website saying food growers would get a six week warning. The post-Brexit scheme, launched in 2022, pays farmers and land managers to take up practices that improve productivity and protect the environment and climate.
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William had spent three years getting his regenerative farm ready for the scheme and had been set to finish the application around the same time submissions were shut.
He said: “I happened to put it in on Tuesday night, the same night they closed it. I can’t believe that because it’s a huge loss.
“The SFI was set up to protect the soil and allow farmers to rebuild soils to produce organic healthy foods. We need two years' cover cropping to achieve this and now the scheme to achieve this is blocked. It's an environmental killer.
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"This sudden closure of the SFI scheme is not just a setback for farmers; it's a blow to our collective efforts in promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable food production.”
William shared concerns that farmers may be forced to abandon environmental work in favour of more intensive food production to survive.
He plans to continue regenerative farming at Little Miracle, in Herefordshire, but would have to change his methods.
The family farmer said: “We did have about 20 [staff] but we’ll be down to about 12 because of these payments and things. We’ll change our system and cut back, that’s mostly because of these payments.”
“It takes years to turn over to regenerative from conventional farming.”
William urged the government to reconsider its decision and find alternative ways to support farmers in their environmental efforts.
He said: "We need long-term commitment to sustainable farming practices. Two years of cover cropping is essential for rebuilding our soils.
“Without this support, we risk compromising both our environment and our food security.”
The father of four, who also has four grandchildren, told how Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax raid will also be problematic.
He said changes to agricultural property relief and business property relief will also be a problem in the future.
The businessman said: “That is a definite problem for the long term.”
The Daily Express has demanded the Government U-turn on its inheritance tax raid through the Save Britain’s Family Farms crusade.
The Environment Department (Defra) announced earlier this month that the SFI, which pays farmers in England for “public goods” such as insecticide-free farming, wildflower strips and managing ponds and hedgerows, was fully allocated for this year.
That means the scheme had been closed for new applications with immediate effect.
Speaking in the Commons this week, Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “The problem facing farming is that it became unprofitable because of the actions of the previous government.
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“They undercut farm businesses in trade deals, undercutting farmers on welfare and environmental standards, they raised barriers to exports to the European markets, causing exports to plunge by 20% since 2018, and that led to record numbers of bankruptcies.
“This Government has a plan for change and it involves turning farming into a profitable set of businesses, including backing British businesses by public sector food procurement, and ruling out trade deals that undercut farmers in the way that that government was happy to do.”
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Food security minister Daniel Zeichner said that the Government planned to “redesign” the programme and said previous schemes had “no way of prioritising properly” the farmers who received support.
Mr Zeichner said “many, many farmers are now in these schemes and benefiting from them”, before adding a future programme could “properly be managed”.
He also told MPs that the “budget has been spent” for the SFI and a responsible government had to respond to that.