Don’t cut nature-friendly farm fund, urge ex-Tory ministers

The letter was signed by Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom, Therese Coffey and Theresa Villiers along with six other former Conservative farming and environment ministers.

It comes after a government report, external confirmed there had been a £358m underspend in the agricultural budget across last three years.

National Farmers’ Union President Tom Bradshaw said news that the money had not been spent was a “kick in the teeth”.

He said the underspend was not because “the investment isn’t needed” but a result of problems with the implementation of the scheme.

The previous Conservative government said the aim of the fund was to reward farmers for delivering “public goods” and making “a significant contribution to the environment”.

The fund supports farmers and landowners to carry out projects such as large-scale tree planting and restoring coastal habitats.

In January 2022, the Public Accounts Committee criticised the scheme for failing to provide enough detail, meaning farmers had been unable to take advantage of the money available.

Kitty Thompson from the Conservative Environment Network said cutting the budget would be “as short-sighted as it is foolish”.