'Boost for landscape' unveiled on day one of the Devon County Show
The farming minister has been outlining multi-million pound plans
Last updated 18th May 2023
The Farming Minister has unveiled plans he says will help wildlife and food production.
On day one of the Devon County Show, Mark Spencer unveiled £15 million for the second round of the Landscape Recovery Scheme to 'develop landscape scale projects which will create new habitats for wildlife, help protected sites, target net zero and support sustainable food production'
The second round of the scheme will support up to 25 projects and be administered by Natural England and the Environment Agency.
The projects will be selected based on their environmental and social impact, value for money, suitability for the scheme and a food production criterion.
Secretary of State for Food and Farming Thérèse Coffey said: “Landscape Recovery is one of our three Environmental Land Management schemes which provide the funding and support for farmers in England through the biggest change in a generation.
“The scheme is already supporting 22 inspiring landscape-scale projects across England with development funding and the second round will help more farmers and land managers take collective action through involvement in bespoke projects that will make a real difference in reaching net zero and supporting valuable habitats, while continuing to support sustainable food production.”
"Projects selected for the first round last year are demonstrating how food production and environmental delivery can go hand in hand. On the Somerset and Dorset border, the River Axe Landscape Recovery project is bringing together 23 farmers, smallholders and landowners, including dairy, beef, sheep and arable farms, to restore a 23.6km stretch of the upper river. The project will support regenerative farming and extensive grazing on the land neighbouring the river corridor to reduce diffuse pollution, phosphates and sediments entering the river, enabling cleaner water to flow.
"Funding for Landscape Recovery will be provided from the government’s £2.4 billion annual investment into the farming sector, which is guaranteed for the rest of this Parliament, with every penny of the reductions to farmers’ direct payments reinvested back into farming."
Dr Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said: “Agriculture has a huge role to play in Nature recovery, ensuring that a thriving natural world is at the heart of sustainable food production. Landscape Recovery encourages farmers and land managers to transform Nature at a landscape scale and Natural England will use its advice and relationships to support them every step of the way.
“I hope that through this scheme more farmers and land managers will join forces, making significant progress towards the statutory Nature targets and providing the food and public goods that our society depends upon.”
Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, said: “I welcome the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme, which is a key opportunity for farmers and land managers who want to focus more specifically on ambitious land-use change and habitat restoration.
“The round one projects – only launched in September 2022 – are already showing great promise, such as the River Axe project in Devon supported by the Environment Agency to improve the habitats and water quality of the Axe.”
“This second round of Landscape Recovery will take us further down the track toward becoming a nation that is resilient to climate change and rich in ecological diversity."
Alasdair Moffett, Landscape Recovery Manager, The Axe Landscape Partnership, said: “On the Axe, we are working with 23 farmers and landowners to reconnect the Axe River and its floodplain upstream of a Special Area of Conservation.
“Over time this will provide clean water, rich wildlife habitats, flood and drought mitigation, greater access to nature, and increasing the local population’s awareness of where their food comes from, whilst also ensuring the farms involved in the scheme are economically and environmentally resilient.”
The Landscape Recovery programme is one of the government’s three new Environmental Land Management schemes, alongside the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship.