Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support for upland farmers moving to the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

We are rolling the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme out over time. The first step of that roll out includes the Moorland Standard. We have worked regularly with a group of stakeholders, including farmers and practitioners, to develop that Standard within the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. This standard has the sole focus on, and eligibility for land mapped above the moorland line in the uplands of England. It forms an integral part of the offer for those farming in the uplands alongside the other elements of the scheme they may also be eligible for.

We will continue to expand Sustainable Farming Incentive so that upland farmers are able to access funding for a wide range of activities so that they can maintain sustainable farm businesses which deliver for food, farming and the environment.

As we roll out the Sustainable Farming Incentive offer, upland farmers will continue to benefit from the Countryside Stewardship scheme, and the legacy Environmental Stewardship offer. In combination, alongside the grants we offer, free business advice and targeted innovation funding, upland farmers have access to a range of offers to invest in their businesses.