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Written question asked by Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 February 2026. It was answered by Angela Eagle (Labour) on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Hill Farming: Finance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to financially support upland farmers in areas such as Exmoor.

Answer

Defra is working with Dr Hilary Cottam to develop a place-based approach for what uplands communities need, co-designing solutions to specific problems.

The Government recently announced the extension of the Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) programme until March 2029. This supports farmers and land managers in England’s National Parks and National Landscapes, including upland farmers in Exmoor National Park, to deliver projects that achieve climate, nature, people and place outcomes.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive will be reformed to make it simpler and fairer. To ensure as many farmers as possible can benefit from SFI, we will begin by opening an initial window from June for small farms, and also those without existing Environmental Land Management agreements. This will be followed by a second window opening from September for all other farmers.

The Farming Roadmap and the government response to Baroness Batters’ Farming Profitability Review will be published later this year, setting out wider plans to boost profitability and long-term viability.

Information about agricultural scheme payments made to farmers and land managers in the Exmoor area can be found at the Find farm and land payment website.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
112464
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Finance Hill farming Exmoor
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk