Defra has announced plans to support farmers with fertiliser costs and pauses on pollution rules

Concerns have been raised about what the impact of the war in Ukraine will mean for the global food security as a result of increasing costs of farming.

In particular, issues with labour shortages, rising costs of logistics and rising input costs are the main areas of concern for farmers.

As a result Defra has set out 5 actions they will take to support farmers:

  • Delay actions to reduce ammonia emissions by 12 months to April 2023
  • Issue guidance to clarify Farming Rules for water requirements on manure and slurry
  • Run a ‘fertiliser roundtable’ to discuss issues and key routes forward
  • Set out more detail on the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme
  • Issue the Farming innovation Programme to support ‘climate smart farming’ projects