Recommendation 8

A substantial proportion of farmed land in England is tenanted, and common land accounts for a significant percentage of land delivering important public goods such as biodiversity and public access. It is important that the particular needs of 42 Environmental Land Management and the agricultural transition tenants and commoners are properly accounted for in the scheme’s design, rather than forcing them into a scheme designed for owner-occupiers. Defra also needs to ensure that Farm Business Tenancies, which tend to be short-term, are compatible with entering into ELM agreements.