Latest news with #ELM
Spectator
2 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Reeves is right to slash funds for wealthy landowners
It is beginning to feel a bit like 1998 all over again. That was the year of the first countryside march when it – supposedly – rose up in anger at the Blair government over its plan to abolish hunting, introduce the right to roam and build some houses for people to live in. Landowning interests, already reeling from Rachel Reeves' decision to partially remove the inheritance tax exemption on agricultural land, are now gearing up to bleat about a proposal to slash the £2.5 billion a year budget for Environmental Land Management (ELM) – the scheme which replaced the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after Brexit. It is reported that the scheme will be designed to be less generous, with payments being retained only for small farms. The landowning interest will be expecting to whip up mass public anger again, just as it did for the countryside march. But what exactly are taxpayers getting in return for ELM payments? The idea behind ELM was to come up with a more sensible scheme than CAP, which for the last two decades has been little more than welfare for landowners – it doles out billions to them simply for owning land and keeping it in the vague definition of 'agricultural condition'.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Rachel Reeves is set to betray farmers AGAIN 'by cutting a massive £5billion lifeline'
Thousands of family farms could go bust thanks to a new raid being plotted by Labour, it emerged last night. In a fresh blow to the industry, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is considering slashing lifeline subsidies worth billions of pounds to farms in her spending review on June 11. She is scrabbling to find up to £30billion after leaving herself with little fiscal headroom in last October's Budget and following Labour's U-turn over winter fuel payment cuts. But critics said axing the environmental land management (ELM) fund will be the 'final blow' for many farms. The fund, which is worth around £2.5billion a year, was part of a scheme set up after Brexit to replace around £2.6billion farmers received annually from the EU's common agricultural policy. The Government is committed to settling subsidies worth £5billion for the period between last year and next year. But after that only 'small farms' will continue to receive funds, according to Whitehall sources. It is unclear what this means, how funding will be allocated and on what basis. The ELM scheme gives subsidies to farmers in return for cultivating their land in nature-friendly ways. It is based on the principle of 'public money for public good'. Pre-Brexit, EU subsidies were linked to food production. However, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) said many food producing farms also cultivate parts of their land in line with the ELM scheme to receive the subsidies and boost their income. It said around 40,000 farms receive ELM subsidies. Ministers were already facing accusations of betrayal after introducing the hated 'family farm tax' – which will lumber many farms with huge inheritance tax bills – in the Budget, sparking a series of protests by farmers. In March, the Government closed part of the ELM, the sustainable farming incentive. Defending the ELM yesterday, Andrew Clark, the NFU's policy director, said: 'There is a significant risk that thousands of family farm businesses would be at risk if this scheme were axed. 'What farmers and growers really need from this government is confidence and certainty that what they do for this country is valued. It doesn't feel like that at all at the moment.' Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, chairman of the Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee, said that slashing the ELM 'will be the final blow for many farms'. He added: 'Since Labour came to power, they have had basic payments ended earlier than planned, they have seen the shambles of the sustainable farming incentive closed without notice – all on top of the family farm tax and other tax changes – and trade deals that could be devastating for some farming sectors. No matter where farmers turn, there is a Government minister waiting to clobber them. 'Keir Starmer says that food security is national security, but if he treated our security services like he treats our farmers we would all be learning Russian or Chinese.' He added: 'If our farmers are not able to put food on our tables then we shall end up importing it from other countries. Is that what the Government wants?' Former chairman of the committee, Sir Robert Goodwill, who runs a farm, said: 'For many farms their profit line is less than the support they get, so it will push many farms below into the red. Potentially thousands. 'It's very serious indeed, particularly for tenants who have to pay rent. 'My guess is, Labour has decided that not a single farmer will vote Labour at the next election now, so why not just sacrifice the industry.' Victoria Atkins, the Conservatives' environment spokesman, said: 'Labour's lack of understanding about our rural communities is putting our nation's food security at risk.' NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: 'If this story proves correct, it will be another blow not just for farmers and growers but also for the viability of nature-friendly farming and for the environment.' Sources at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed that ELM was facing the axe. Defra itself did not respond last night.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Reeves ‘betrays farmers again' with funding cuts
Rachel Reeves has been accused of betraying Britain's farmers again after it emerged that a major nature-friendly fund will be slashed next month. The Chancellor is looking to scale back the environmental land management (ELM) scheme when new departmental budgets are announced in a fortnight. The ELM – which replaced the EU's common agricultural policy after Brexit – is the main vehicle of state financial support for farmers. Currently, all farms are able to benefit, with £5 billion having been set aside for between last year and 2026. But The Guardian reported that the fund will be significantly scaled back when new budgets are unveiled in two weeks, with only 'small farms' set to benefit. A Government insider familiar with the discussions indicated that the report was correct. Spokesmen for both the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Treasury declined to comment. The move is likely to worsen the Government's relationship with the agricultural sector, which has been frayed by Ms Reeves' inheritance tax raid on family farms. It is the latest detail of where the approaching spending squeeze is being felt, as Cabinet ministers negotiate with the Treasury as part of the spending review. Unprotected departments face real term cuts to their budgets for the latter years of this decade. Ms Reeves will announce decisions on how much each department has to spend on June 11. Critics accused the Treasury of not being on the side of farmers, while industry figures called for urgent clarity. Victoria Atkins, the Tory shadow environment secretary, said: 'Once again, the Chancellor is going to use her spending review to escalate her war on farmers. This is just another example of Labour's chaotic approach to our countryside. 'Labour's lack of understanding about our rural communities is putting our nation's food security at risk. They need to come clean about their definition of a 'small farm' so they do not catch more farmers by surprise with their shambolic mismanagement. 'It is a betrayal as they are upending the principled approach of rewarding farmers for looking after the land whilst growing food, which is a clear Brexit benefit – or should be.' Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats' environment spokesman, said: 'The Government is treating rural communities with gobsmacking contempt. If this comes to pass, ministers would be putting yet another nail in the coffin of farming in this country. 'Many farmers are barely making ends meet, working for half the minimum wage – yet they still tirelessly maintain our countryside, and it is their stewardship that allows us all to enjoy its beauty. With these cuts, those same farmers will simply not be able to protect nature in this way any more. 'The Government's utter failure to understand rural communities risks decimating them. At the spending review, we cannot see farmers come under siege once more, and these cuts cannot come to pass.' The purpose of the ELM scheme, according to the Government, is to reward farmers, tenants, landowners, land managers, growers and foresters for delivering 'public goods' and making 'a significant contribution to the environment'. It provides payments to farmers to manage land in an environmentally sustainable way, pays farmers who support local nature recovery, and supports projects that make long-term changes to land use that improve the ecosystem. It is seen to be based on the principle of 'public money for public good'. That could be tougher to justify if larger farms are locked out of the funding, which appears to be the Government's new approach. Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers' Union, said: 'If this story proves to be correct, it will be another blow not just for farmers and growers but also for the viability of nature friendly farming and for the environment. 'If this is a move away from the principle of public money for public environmental goods, towards a more socially focused policy, it is misjudged, because farms of all sizes have a critical role in helping deliver for food, nature and climate.'
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
The people of Emfuleni deserve a municipality that works: Mamabolo
VANDERBIJLPARK. – In a bold move to confront the escalating waste management crisis in Emfuleni, MEC for Infrastructure Development and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Jacob Mamabolo called an urgent high-level meeting with ELM Executive Mayor, Sipho Radebe Mayoral Committee Members (MMC's), the Municipal Manager (MM), senior officials, and organized labour representatives last week. The meeting was also attended by Lerato Maloka, Executive Mayor of Sedibeng District Municipality. This meeting followed the recent launch of the Gauteng Integrated Cross-Boundary Law Enforcement and Service Delivery Programme at Saul Tsotetsi Sports Complex, a programme that signalled the Provincial Government's intent to work with municipalities. Despite the initial rollout, which included pothole patching, road re-marking, and limited clearing of illegal dumping sites, Mamabolo is said to have expressed serious concern that the impact has been insufficient, especially on the pressing issue of waste management. A statement issued said that driven by focus on addressing illegal dumping and solid waste backlogs, the MEC's visit is not ceremonial but operational, aimed at turning around the state of cleanliness and dignity in Sedibeng through decisive leadership and targeted resource deployment. It is said that Mamabolo unveiled a plan to bolster the municipality's capacity by deploying almost a 1,000 personnel and equipment units. These resources, it is said, will support municipal teams in executing a two-week intensive clean-up operation to rid communities of illegal dumping hotspots that have overwhelmed local capacity. 'This urgent work visit is driven by a single purpose, to bring focused energy, accountability, and a whole-of-government approach to one of Emfuleni's most visible and urgent crises: Waste management,' Mamabolo said. 'What happened during the launch was a start, but it was not enough. Now we are escalating the response.' Later in the day, Mamabolo is said to have met with organised business to directly respond to their concerns around deteriorating infrastructure, crime, and declining service delivery standards. 'The people of Emfuleni deserve a municipality that works, and we are here to ensure that happens,' Mamabolo concluded. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Deputy minister encourages continued progress in ELM
VEREENIGING.- The Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dickson Masemola applauded the leadership of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) for its current approach to governance. This was during his visit to the recently held successful two-day Emfuleni's Service Delivery and Revenue Summit. Masemola expressed his admiration for the municipality's commitment to, ' transparency, accountability, and innovation in local governance'. The summit, held amidst the pressing issues of high unemployment and a struggling revenue collection system, demonstrated ELM's willingness to listen, reflect, and adapt to delivering better services to its residents. Masemola urged ELM to remain on this promising path, emphasising that such governance practices are vital to restoring trust, improving service delivery, and ultimately transforming communities. With the summit, ELM said that it chose to challenge itself by bringing together different members of the society including industry leaders, professionals, academics, subject matter experts, civil society, and religious figures, alongside community representatives. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
