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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of biodiversity in lowland areas; the impact of previous environmental incentives on that biodiversity; and the extent to which lowland areas are vulnerable to intensification of agriculture in the absence of sufficiently competitive environmental land use payments.

More than 50,000 farm businesses and more than half of all farmed land is now being managed in Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, including over 38,000 multi-year live SFI agreements covering 4.3 million hectares of land. This means 800,000 hectares of arable land is being farmed without insecticides, reducing harm to pollinators and improving soil health. It means 300,000 hectares of low input grassland are managed sustainably, helping to protect biodiversity and improve water quality, and it means 75,000 kilometres of hedgerows are being protected and restored, providing essential habitats for wildlife, improving carbon storage and strengthening natural flood defences.

The Government is committed to ELM schemes. Defra will be working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. This future SFI offer will build on what has made SFI effective so far. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced following the spending review in summer 2025.