Concerns were running particularly high this week at the 2025 Oxford Farming Conference where Defra minister Steve Reed promised "a cast iron commitment to food production" in his speech to delegates.
But the recent decision to reduce the Basic Payments Scheme subsidy from £30,000 down to around £7,000 earlier than anyone expected has left many farmers in the onerous position of having to make rushed business decisions about which of the new Environmental Land Management Scheme payments to apply for. This shortened time frame in which to properly plan risks some farm businesses committing to schemes that take them out of food production which could damage the UK's domestic food security.
At the start of the conference Farming Today interviewed Professor Sir Dieter Helm, dubbed the architect of the public money for public goods policy. His assessment is that the transition from the BPS to ELMS has been "a big disappointment." He says it's "not been done well at all and it's very un-clear."
Professor Helm says the reason for this disjointed transition, which sees existing subsidies slashed but farmers confused about what alternatives to adopt, is that the skills, knowledge, resources and technology needed to run the new system has not been put in place. He says that Defra and the Environment Agencies "remain analogue organisations."
Without the technology, digital data and ability to measure progress in delivering these public goods, Professor Helm's view is that "Defra's not fit for purpose." In a prescient quote from an interview eight years ago, Professor Helm said that "we need to think about the institutions as much as the policy." Back to 2025 and his conclusion is that "Government needs to get its act together. It's even more urgent than when I said it eight years ago." You can listen to his interview from 8:45 minutes.