Budget for England’s farm environment schemes hits £1.9bn
Stephen Morgan, a minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said spending on Environmental Land Management schemes was planned to reach £2bn by 2028-29.
The budget for Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes is £1.9bn this year, more than four times the £433m spent in 2020, Stephen Morgan, a minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, has said.
Morgan gave the figures on 18 September in a written parliamentary answer to Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello.
Morello, who represents West Dorset, had asked what assessment had been made of the adequacy of the ELM budget for the 2026-27 financial year.
The minister said the budget was “rising further still”, with plans to spend £2bn on ELM schemes by 2028-29.
That would make “a total of £2.7 billion of investment into farming and nature”, Morgan said.
The department’s annual report for 2025-26 showed £1.8bn was spent on the schemes, which include the Sustainable Farming Incentive, CS Higher Tier and ELM Capital, the minister added.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive is open to farmers across England, according to the department.
The answer does not say whether the department considers the budget adequate.
The written question and answer in full
Question
Asked by Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat, West Dorset) on 28 August 2026. UIN 25023.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the budget for Environmental Land Management schemes in the 2026–27 financial year.
Answer
Answered by Stephen Morgan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 18 September 2026.
This year's budget for Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes is £1.9 billion. This has increased by more than fourfold since 2020, when we spent £433 million. This is rising further still, and by 2028/29, we plan to spend £2 billion on ELM schemes, making a total of £2.7 billion of investment into farming and nature.
We have also recently published our Annual Report for 2025/26, which sets out that we spent £1.8bn on ELM schemes which includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive, CS Higher Tier and ELM Capital.