Hill farmers' livelihoods are 'at risk' because of continued delays to new government support schemes, new analysis has warned.
Upland farmers are only receiving 8% or £39m of the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), despite these areas occupying around 15% of England’s area, it noted.
The expansion of the Countryside Stewardship ‘higher tier’ scheme, which is seen as vital for the uplands, is also delayed until next summer.
Incomes from farming in the uplands are typically amongst the lowest of all farm sectors, with data for 2023-24 giving an average income for hill farms of £23,500.
The analysis, included in a report by Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said that delays to the higher tier scheme therefore 'present a particular risk' to the incomes of hill farmers.
It suggested that a big increase in spending and uptake of the higher tier scheme was needed to meet climate and nature targets.
Tom Lancaster, land, analyst at the ECIU, said that any further delays would put hill farmers' finances in 'jeopardy'.
“Hill farmers are often not rich and are less likely to be affected by changes to inheritance tax, but delays to new government schemes could have an outsized negative impact on their livelihoods.
“The Countryside Stewardship higher-tier scheme, designed to support farmers to create and restore habitats, has been repeatedly delayed under previous governments."
The delays to the higher-tier schemes are compounded by fears that when it does launch, not enough farmers will be able to get into it, the report said.
Neil Heseltine, an upland farmer from Malham in North Yorkshire, explained that he had been 'waiting for years' for Defra to provide support.
"We are ready, willing and able, but the support to do so just hasn’t been there yet," he said.
"I don’t begrudge our lowland peers the funding they’re getting, I just want some of it to flow up the hill to allow us to do the same.
“If it doesn’t, climate and nature will suffer. As the old subsidies are phased out, I don’t know what hill farmers will do if we can’t get into these more ambitious, higher-paying, higher-tier schemes."
