Spending Review: Boost for farmers, blow for regulators

Spending Review: Good news for farm payments – but not for regulation as DEFRA budget reduced

We welcome the government’s commitment to significantly increase funding for Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) – with the budget set to rise by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. This substantial investment offers a vital opportunity to support farmers in restoring nature, improving soil health, and reducing agricultural pollution in our rivers and streams. But is it enough?

In a difficult fiscal period, DEFRA needs all the support it can get to increase funding for the transition to nature-friendly farming. However, the Spending Review raises serious concerns about the Government’s ability to protect river health. DEFRA’s overall budget has been reduced by 2.3% in real terms – continuing over a decade-long decline in funding. As a result, it remains under-resourced to enforce environmental laws at scale, limiting regulators’ ability to hold polluters, including water companies, to account.

Water bill payers across the country expect their water companies to be held responsible for pollution – not rewarded for failure. Weakening the watchdogs that should be protecting the UK’s rivers and water supply is unwanted by the public.