MP leads call for farmers payment scheme to be extended until 2024

South Lakes MP Tim Farron is calling for a payment scheme which is considered a lifeline for farmers to be extended until 2024.

At a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming, which Tim chairs, the group agreed to lobby the Government to continue the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) for another three years.

The Government's current proposal is to phase out the BPS from 2021 and replace it with the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) from 2024.

However, there were serious concerns about a lack of detail of how the new scheme would work.

And last month it was revealed that plans for the ELMS had stalled after the Department for the Environment appeared unwilling to spend the £5m which was required to get the tests and trials up and running.

Tim said: "The Basic Payment Scheme is a lifeline for so many farmers.

"But now they are being left in the dark, unable to plan more than 18 months in advance.

"Our hard-working local farmers deserve better than this which is why we're calling on the Government to extend the Basic Payment Scheme until the new scheme is actually ready."