By johnrobertson834,Support Talking

Copyright talkingupscotlandtwo

Scottish farmers spared cliff edge as English face cuts – Scottish farmers have been assured they will not face a funding ‘cliff edge’, as new figures reveal thousands of their English counterparts could be left without support at the end of this year.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request revealed that 5820 farmers in England face uncertainty when the Countryside Stewardship grant scheme comes to an end. With funding for the replacement Sustainable Farming Incentive still incomplete, the NFU has warned that many farmers are being forced to abandon long-standing projects that supported biodiversity and environmental management.

The Scottish Government has pledged to maintain a range of support measures, including reformed direct payments and the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), designed to deliver sustainable food production while protecting the environment. Ministers say this commitment will provide much-needed stability to a sector under pressure.