Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 5
5
We are pleased that Defra’s engagement has improved over the last year, but delays in...
Conclusion
We are pleased that Defra’s engagement has improved over the last year, but delays in communication due to delays in policy development have already impacted farmers’ ability to plan for the significant changes ahead. Defra itself cannot directly reach every farmer, but it is essential that every farmer and land manager is made aware of what is coming. The scale and complexity of Defra’s policy means that a clear strategy to communicate its plans to the full range of farmers and land managers, with measurable objectives, is needed. If this is not in place, the agricultural transition risks falling at the first hurdle. Defra should develop a clear engagement strategy with plans in place to measure its success in reaching the full range of farmers and land managers, and consider how advisory networks and intermediary organisations may be more effectively used to communicate key information about the agricultural transition. In order to build confidence and foster buy-in, this engagement strategy should also involve a concerted effort to demonstrate how the views of farmers and land managers have fed into the design of ELM. (Paragraph 40) Environmental Land Management
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We have a comprehensive engagement strategy and programme of engagement and co- design in place, to ensure we maximise our reach and bring the voice of farmers into our work. We are planning to increase our activities in this area in 2022, now that we have more details about schemes that we can share with farmers to help them plan. We agree that we can and should do more to play back what we have learned from our engagement and explain how the engagement has informed scheme design. We have already started to make improvements in this area since the Committee’s report, for instance in finalising the details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive for its early rollout. Our approach includes: • Regular contact with stakeholder bodies Ȥ We have regular meetings with our top 6 stakeholder organisations (NFU, TFA, CLA, RSPB, National Trust and Green Alliance), supported by regular 1:1 calls with the programme director Ȥ We run a regular Environmental Land Management Engagement Group and Programme Forums supported by 1:1 account management conversations with senior leaders in the programme • Communication through intermediaries Ȥ We have a communications and engagement programme with trusted intermediaries such as farming charities, vets, agronomists, banks, supermarkets and other buyers, to help make sure they have the information they need to advise the farmers they work with • Direct communication with farmers Ȥ We are working directly with more than 4,000 farmers and other experts to design our schemes, through a combination of tests and trials, piloting and user research and co-design Ȥ When we published the Agricultural Transition Plan, we sent out copies of the “Farming is Changing” booklet to all 86,000 BPS claimants, as well as issuing it to all subscribers of Farmers Weekly and Farmers Guardian. The “Farming is Changing” booklet has also been distributed to over 3,000 farmers at 12 agricultural shows since February 2021 Ȥ We are working together with the Farming Forum when we launch schemes. The forum has large digital reach for farmers. Our thread on the Farming Investment Fund had over 25,000 views through Director Janet Hughes’ posts on ‘ask me anything’ Ȥ We have answered questions at agricultural shows and auction marts Ȥ We are working with membership and levy bodies by ensuring Defra staff attend regular webinars and events Ȥ We’ve funded a resilience programme where 19 organisations are providing free business planning advice directly to farmers • Routine information sharing Ȥ In addition to regular use of other social media channels, we have launched a programme blog on GOV.UK which has now had around 100,000 views in its first year Ȥ To ensure timely updates, we have around 13,000 farmers signed up to our e-alerts and reach another 5,000 farmers and landowners through the ‘Land App’ As part of our strategy, we measure the effectiveness of our increased engagement through qualitative and quantitative insight, such as surveys, focus groups through our established forums and research conducted by our stakeholders with their members. We also track trends in farmer awareness of and interest in the agricultural transition. We use that information to inform our engagement strategy and plans. Defra’s Farmer Opinion Tracker can be accessed here: Farmer Opinion Tracker – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).