Key Facts

• The Bill maintains funding continuity for pillar 1 in the final period before leaving the CAP.
• Clause 1 provides legal basis for direct payments to farmers for the 2020 scheme year.
• The government committed to retaining 2019 levels of support throughout the current Parliament.
• Clause 1 of the Agriculture Bill recognises access to countryside and culture as one of the public goods.
• £2.852 billion funding will be provided for direct payments in 2020, same as in 2019.
• The Government allocated an additional £3 billion to support farmers.
• A seven-year transition period is set out.
• RPA performance last year saw 93% of farmers receiving payments by the end of December.
• Clause 5 provides for an uplift in funding from the Bew report and Scottish Conservative campaign.
• The Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill aims to provide continuity for farmers post-Brexit.
• A seven-year transition period will be implemented to ease the introduction of new systems.
• The Bill extends EU farm payment systems for an additional year.
• The last Committee sitting of the Agriculture Bill was in November 2018.
• The Rural Payments Agency's budget has been cut from £237 million in 2010 to just £95 million in 2018.
• Labour will table amendments to enable the Government to extend systems such as public money for public goods with an affirmative vote of the House.
• The Bill lacks provisions addressing potential negative impacts from post-Brexit trade deals.
• There is a risk of disruption at borders, difficulty in exporting products, and lower standards due to divergence from European standards.
• Farmers have expressed concerns about the confidence in the Secretary of State's ability to protect them in trade deals.
• Neil Parish welcomes the Secretary of State’s statement on payment continuity.
• Concerns are raised about difficulties in delivering stewardship scheme payments.
• Half of farmers rely on basic farm payments for part of their income.
• The three crop rule introduced due to agricultural issues in eastern Germany is unnecessary in much of Britain.
• Farmers should be considered innocent until proven guilty regarding payment discrepancies.
• New technologies like gene technology could help reduce the use of crop protection without hindering productivity.
• There are concerns about balancing environmental goals with productive agriculture.
• The UK Agriculture Bill has been shelved and needs to restart due to the Government's failure to plan ahead.
• Scottish farmers and crofters have seen a succession of Tory promises made and discarded in recent years.
• There are concerns about tariffs and trade hurdles with the EU affecting autumn markets for crofters and farmers.
• Edward Timpson is returning to Parliament after losing his seat in a close election.
• He served as Minister for Children and Families during the previous government.
• Eddisbury includes dairy farming which contributes about 3% of UK's dairy products.
• The constituency has a diverse economy including manufacturing, logistics, and agriculture.
• The Bill is necessary to fulfil the obligations of the withdrawal agreement for one year.
• The BPS constitutes 85% of the income for the average livestock farmer.
• ELMS will be available for some farmers in 2024, but not all until 2028.
• Farmers lack confidence in the Government's ability to deliver a new payment system on time.
• The Government has committed to investing £3 billion in farmers and farming communities.
• Farmers receive £3.5 billion annually under the common agricultural policy (CAP).
• More than 80% of CAP support is paid directly to farmers based on land management.
• The UK loses 2 billion tonnes of topsoil into rivers every year.
• The former Chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee mentioned planting more trees around rivers to prevent soil erosion.
• A higher-level stewardship scheme was visited near Padstow which focused on reintroducing grey partridges and providing nesting grounds for corn buntings.
• Joint projects between the Westcountry Rivers Trust and South West Water are aimed at improving water quality by managing slurry pits in rivers.
• Dave Doogan extends his welcome to the new shadow Secretary of State and thanks those who voted for him.
• He pays tribute to his predecessor, Kirstene Hair, and her work on the seasonal agricultural workers scheme.
• The constituency of Angus is known for its diverse landscapes, rich history, and contributions to innovation and arts.
• £3.5 billion is put into agriculture annually.
• UK food exports are worth £22 billion a year.
• The UK is 60% self-sufficient in food production.
• Food labelling challenges include small print on restaurant menus.
• About seven farmers over the age of 60 die each year from animal accidents.
• The Bill is crucial for providing certainty to farmers, particularly those in constituencies like North Herefordshire where £23.2 million a year comes from subsidies.
• The speaker mentions that there are 10,500 people working on farms in his constituency and 88% of the land is farmland.
• The Bill aims to maintain a level playing field for farmers within the UK internal market while allowing flexibility for each nation's agricultural policies.
• The Bill allows Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments to come from domestic UK funds.
• There are concerns in Wales about the disparity in farm payments between Scotland and Wales, with the difference now at about £16,200 per year.
• The Farmers Union of Wales raised questions about the fairness of funding allocations based on the Bew review.
• Fay Alicia Jones congratulates the hon. Member for Angus on his maiden speech.
• The constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire is one of the largest beef and sheep farming constituencies in the UK, directly affecting many thousands of constituents.
• Farming contributes more than £9.5 billion to the UK economy and provides 58,000 jobs in Wales alone.
• The Bill aims to continue direct payments to UK farmers after EU exit.
• Current farm payment budget stands at £3.5 billion annually.
• In Sleaford and North Hykeham alone, £21 million was given to farmers last year.
• Without government support, 42% of farms would not be profitable.
• £3.5 billion allocated for direct payments to farmers.
• 80% of funding goes broadly to acreage payments.
• 10% of people receive 50% of the money, while the smallest 20% of farms get only 2% of the total funds.
• The Government met the target of paying 90% of farmers' applications within a specific timeframe.
• Only 54% of fruit and vegetables are now produced in the UK compared to 83% three decades ago.
• Farmers need consistency and certainty in income due to their reliance on weather conditions.
• Rutland and Melton has over 1,000 people employed in cheese and meat factories.
• There are nearly 40,000 agricultural workers in the east midlands.
• The bill aims to introduce a new payment scheme to encourage farmers to tackle climate change, protect water resources, and improve animal welfare.
• The Agriculture Bill has been delayed for over 14 months.
• Payments under the new system are not set to begin until 2021.
• The National Audit Office's report shows that only 1,250 farmers will sign up by the end of the first year of the environmental land management (ELM) pilot in 2022.
• The Bew review recommends addressing historical inequalities and recognizing the social value of upland farming.
• The Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill covers only one year, 2020.
• Article 137 of the withdrawal agreement disapplied certain EU regulations affecting direct payments for 2020.
• The uplift in funding for Scotland and Wales will be paid with new funds, not top-sliced from English or Northern Ireland farmers' BPS payments.
• The Rural Payments Agency has achieved over 93% of farmers paid by the end of December.
• The number of seasonal agricultural workers is being quadrupled from 2,500 to 10,000.
• Article 13 of the state aid rules was retained through the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill.