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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Environmental Land Management scheme will be introduced.

We have already opened two new Environmental Land Management schemes. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which supports farmers to undertake activities to grow food whilst improving the environment and animal health and welfare, launched in June 2022. SFI is being rolled out incrementally – we introduced three SFI standards in 2022, six further SFI standards will be available in summer 2023, and the full offer will be in place by the start of 2025. In 2022 we also awarded development funding for the first 22 Landscape Recovery projects – longer-term, larger-scale projects to enhance the natural environment. We will open applications for further rounds of Landscape Recovery in Spring 2023 and in 2024. We are also evolving the Countryside Stewardship scheme so that it pays for a wider range of targeted, specific actions. Through the Countryside Stewardship Plus we will reward farmers for taking coordinated action, working with neighbouring farms and landowners to support climate and nature aims.