The National Farmers Union of Great Britain (NFU) has called on the government to plan "realistic schedules" for the transition to a farming scheme after Brexit.

The government made it clear that its direction of movement for the new agricultural policy is to move to a system of paying “public money for public goods”.

A recent consultation document by the Ministry of the Environment, Food, and Agriculture (Defra), Health and Harmony, outlined a desire to phase out direct payments to farmers and transfer funding to new environmental and land management (ELM) schemes.

The aim of the new program will be to provide benefits such as improved air, water and soil quality, increased biodiversity, climate change mitigation, cultural benefits and better protection of the historical environment.

Defra hopes that by 2028, 82,500 farmers will be enrolled in the system after Brexit. But a recent report issued by the State Audit Office (NAO) on future ELM shipments raised concerns about inadequate planning. The NFU said the deadlines are "incredibly difficult to develop a successful scheme."

Guy Smith, NFU Vice President, said: “There are many issues that need to be addressed so that new environmental management pilots are launched in 2021. The scheme should be accessible to all farmers and farmers across the country, allowing them to choose what they want to achieve, whether it is improving the quality of soil, air or water, improving our natural capital, as well as wildlife. ”

NFU is working with Defra to develop new environmental and land management schemes and consider what type of advice and guidance is needed.