May 19, 2021 06:57 AM
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57149744
INTRO: Older farmers will be paid to retire under a UK government scheme to bring new blood into the trade. The average farmer could receive a lump sum payment of £50,000 - capped at £100,000 for farmers with most land.
It is part of a massive overhaul of farm grants, incentivising farmers to protect the environment. Older farmers are often most resistant to new "green" methods, and Environment Secretary George Eustice wants them to move on.
Currently, under the old EU system, farmers receive grants based largely on the amount of land they farm. The average farmer currently receives about £21,000 in grants - although large landowners, such as the Queen, have been receiving more than half a million pounds each year..
Mr Eustice says the EU's grants system encourages some farmers 'to coast, to take no risks' and hold on to their land in order to collect the subsidy. Hence the need for help for older farmers to move on.
A spokesman for the agriculture department, Defra, told BBC News: "There's evidence that farmers who wish to leave farming can find it difficult to generate capital to do so. So, a lump sum payment could help contribute to the costs of moving somewhere new or moving into an alternative sector."
Nearly four in 10 UK farmers are over the age of 65, with an average age of 59... (MORE)
INTRO: Older farmers will be paid to retire under a UK government scheme to bring new blood into the trade. The average farmer could receive a lump sum payment of £50,000 - capped at £100,000 for farmers with most land.
It is part of a massive overhaul of farm grants, incentivising farmers to protect the environment. Older farmers are often most resistant to new "green" methods, and Environment Secretary George Eustice wants them to move on.
Currently, under the old EU system, farmers receive grants based largely on the amount of land they farm. The average farmer currently receives about £21,000 in grants - although large landowners, such as the Queen, have been receiving more than half a million pounds each year..
Mr Eustice says the EU's grants system encourages some farmers 'to coast, to take no risks' and hold on to their land in order to collect the subsidy. Hence the need for help for older farmers to move on.
A spokesman for the agriculture department, Defra, told BBC News: "There's evidence that farmers who wish to leave farming can find it difficult to generate capital to do so. So, a lump sum payment could help contribute to the costs of moving somewhere new or moving into an alternative sector."
Nearly four in 10 UK farmers are over the age of 65, with an average age of 59... (MORE)