Young Farmer Focus - Richard West: "Short-term fixes and last-minute announcements will not give us the confidence to invest or adapt properly"

Arable farmer Richard West writes on his mixed feelings regarding Defra's extension of Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements, decisions made in Government which do not account for the farming calendar and why farmers are proud to support the environment

clock • 2 min read
Norfolk farmer Richard West said: "Farmers need proper investment in the sector for infrastructure, technology or helping farms make the step towards operating more sustainable systems. One-year extensions might ease farmer’s immediate short-term concerns for the loss of income, but they will not build the resilience the industry really needs."
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Norfolk farmer Richard West said: "Farmers need proper investment in the sector for infrastructure, technology or helping farms make the step towards operating more sustainable systems. One-year extensions might ease farmer’s immediate short-term concerns for the loss of income, but they will not build the resilience the industry really needs."

When Defra announced that Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements would be extended for another year recently, following months of NFU lobbying, my first reaction was relief. However, that was quickly...

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