England’s struggling upland livestock farmers are losing out on government payments, which in turn has 'serious implications' for nature restoration efforts.
Green Alliance has analysed Defra figures, revealing that upland grazing farms are receiving, on average, £400 less annually from agri-environment schemes.
However, cereal farms are seeing a significant £6,300 increase, compared to 2021-2022, despite upland farms being a key feature of the UK's national parks.
According to Green Alliance, it shows there has been no additional investment through agri-environment schemes in Dartmoor, the Yorkshire Dales, and the Lake District, calling the situation 'alarming'.
This uneven distribution of funds "threatens the vital link between farming and the preservation of these landscapes".
With the Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship and Landscape Recovery schemes, the schemes most suited to upland farming, currently closed to new applicants, the situation is 'becoming increasingly untenable'.
To better support the lowest paid farmers, the Green Alliance is calling on the UK government to press ahead with farming policy reforms.
While the farming budget for 2025-2026 was maintained in the 2024 October budget, it says much of the support continues to favour arable farms.
Upland grazing farms, which typically have the lowest incomes, have seen 'little benefit', with hill farmers earning an average of just £23,500 in 2024, even with government payments and unpaid labour.
However, the upcoming Land Use Framework offers a 'valuable opportunity' for the government to address this by adopting a new approach to payments that restores nature and invests in these lowest-income farms.
The framework should ensure that the uplands receive the targeted investment they require to become more sustainable and keep farm businesses viable, the alliance says.
Lydia Collas, head of natural environment at Green Alliance said: “The Land Use Framework presents a crucial opportunity to think carefully about where to invest the farming budget, and what it needs to pay for.
"We need better targeting of public money towards nature restoration on lower income farms including in many of our iconic national parks.
"That will help tackle climate change and restore natural habitats, while supporting farm businesses to thrive and providing the public with better access to nature.”
