06/10/20 - ELMs, outdoor education and flooded fields

How should farmers be supported by Government? Under the EU they were mostly paid for the land they owned or farmed, but in future it’s going to be a case of ‘public money for public goods’ and all this week we’re discussing ELMS, the new Environmental Land Management Scheme that sits at the heart of DEFRA’s plans for farm support in England from 2024. As DEFRA sees it, ELMS will ‘create cleaner, greener landscapes, helping build towards the government's environmental goals and net zero commitments’. But translating that into a workable system to replace the Basic Payment Scheme that farmers currently claim is a complex job - and it hasn’t even reached the pilot stage yet. We visit a trial ELM to find out what could constitute a 'public good'.

A group representing outdoor education centres has written to the Prime Minister asking for a ban on school residential trips to be lifted. UK Outdoors says it’s lead to nearly 3000 jobs being lost and many facilities closing down permanently, after losses of around £500m of revenue.

And after a weekend of rain, we speak to one farmer whose cattle got cut off by the flood waters...but turned up back at the farm the next morning!

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons