East Anglia's farmers will be able to earn up to £70 per hectare for actions to improve the health of their soil, the government has confirmed.
Environment secretary George Eustice laid out an update on the government’s post-Brexit Agricultural Transition Plan while speaking to farmers at the Cereals Event in Lincolnshire.
He set out further details on how farmers will receive payments for different schemes under the UK's post-Brexit farming system.
The EU system of land-based "direct payment" subsidies is being phased out over the next seven years, to be replaced with a new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) which will reward nature-friendly farming.
Mr Eustice said the government has committed to maintaining the existing levels of investment in farming of £2.4bn per year, on average, during the current parliament.
And 30pc of the funding released from direct payments will be made available for "farm level" actions through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), which will include measures to improve soil health and water quality, enhance hedgerows and promote integrated pest management.
Mr Eustice said: “Soil health is the key to delivering our targets on the environment and improving farm profitability. Well managed soils can lead to increased biodiversity, improved water quality and reduced carbon emissions.
"Our new Sustainable Farming Incentive will eventually be open to every farmer in England and will incentivise a shift towards more sustainable soil and grassland management.”
Defra said the SFI scheme is designed to be "accessible, relevant and attractive to the widest possible range of farmers", aiming to have at least 70pc of eligible farms taking part by 2028.
An initial call for applicants for the pilot scheme was answered by more than 2,000 farmers and land managers, including more than 200 in East Anglia.
The SFI, set to be rolled out from spring 2022, will be the first of three tranches of ELMS.
The remainder of the funds released from phasing out direct payment subsidies will be diverted to Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery projects. By 2028, spending will be evenly split across the three schemes, said Defra.
Soil Association policy director Joanna Lewis said: “We broadly welcome the minister’s announcement as a first step and we are particularly pleased to see the focus on soil and animal welfare – which is entirely appropriate.
“However, there is little clarity on how the full ELMS package is going to properly support farmers to transition to nature-friendly, net-zero farming, and how organic farmers will be recognised in their leadership role in this."
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