ELM session starting. Frankly Darling winning.

Stay tuned for dual updates on ELM and Ascot. @CaitlinHafferty @DamianMaye

David Kennedy @DefraGovUK says there is 'still lots to do' on ELM design. #agriculturebill #ELM #parliament @cachivers

Countryside Stewardship has 'many problems' related to rules but has good points. Let's take the best of Countryside Stewardship and do more than a bit of tweaking for ELM.

Monthly payments for farmers under ELM - David Kennedy.

Kennedy pushed on ambitious offer of monthly payments to farmers since there have been problems paying promptly in the past. Replies by saying that the new automated payment system is better. #elm #agriculture #farming

Signals that bureaucracy is being left behind. Both complex rules and late payments feature heavily as barriers to ELM engagement in our work to be released in the next few days. @drpaulhurley @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon

Chairman pushing Defra to promise monthly payments as soon as possible. Promise made to make monthly payments asap, but possibly not in the pilots from 2021. @drpaulhurley @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon

Now on Tests and Trials. I am working on one with @agricology @cachivers on the value of videos in delivering advice to farmers. Defra 'pleased' with the learning coming from the Test and Trials so far. Mostly unaffected by Covid @drpaulhurley @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon

Timescales to learn from the Test and Trials are 'tight' but learning will be ongoing throughout the Pilot phase. @drpaulhurley @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon

Feedback from participants in the Test and Trials indicate that 'this is true co-creation' - David Kennedy @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon @drpaulhurley

'Very important' to get farmer participation in the Test and Trials. Farmers will be in the vanguard of the Pilots. 7/59 Tests and Trials are farmer-led @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon @drpaulhurley

The work of @JennyPhelpsMBE and @FWAGSouthWest getting a shout out!

Good question about the transition between BPS, Countryside Stewardship and ELM. Ambitious productivity package coming from 2021 to boost food production. Try to get more farmers in CS before 2024. Helps smooth the transition. @drpaulhurley @Jessie__Lyon @RuthieLittle

Pyledriver wins the 3.00 at Ascot. Favourite nowhere. #ITVRacing

Food production and ELM now being discussed. Will ELM provide a disincentive to produce food? No, say Defra. @drpaulhurley @Jessie__Lyon @RuthieLittle

High animal health and welfare now which will interest to @juliette_sch a high priority in the reform according to Defra. A set of incentives - could be grants, money for AHDB etc. Industry action plans to start in 2022. Define welfare standards and pay when achieving them.

The healthier your animals, the more productive they are, and the more food you are producing. Win-win for health, welfare, and food security. @juliette_sch

'Why was there little detail on payments, payment levels, and penalties in the Feb 2020 consultation document? Will these things be given more detail?' Consultation to be re-opened within coming weeks. Outline of roadmap coming in Autumn @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon @drpaulhurley

Urgent that we get this level of detail out there in September. You can hold our feet to the fire on this - David Kennedy. @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon @drpaulhurley

Inspections and red-tape must be done differently. We have to get away from the same type of rules as the past - David Kennedy.

How quickly are we reducing direct payments and what are we going to spend the money on? Productivity, animal health and welfare, increasing participation in agri-environment. We want a good transition to ELM - David Kennedy. @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon @drpaulhurley

We will be able to tell you soon what 2022-2024 looks like. A sensible transition is needed - David Kennedy and Tamara Finkelstein.

The transition between existing schemes and ELM is a clear focus of questions today. General agreement that the transition should be as smooth as possible. Details will be set out in the Autumn. More people to take on a simplified Countryside Stewardship before ELM.

1500 Countryside Stewardship agreements end in 2021. Written to all of them to ask about renewal - hope that all will be rolled-over to ease transition to ELM - David Kennedy.

'How many farmers in the start of the 2021 pilots? Are you confident that you can get this figure?' - aim for 1000 in first phase (Tier 1). Confident that we can do this. 3000 in Test and Trials - worried about excess demand as farmers are raring to go @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon

If there is excess demand, should we invite proposals and score applications?

Ah good old 'Time' - another key factor in our work to be released soon. How confident are you that farmers will have time to get involved with the pilots? - sufficient time for an application window open in April next year. Timings work I think - David Kennedy.

Onerous application process for busy farmers should be avoided - hope is to make the application process much more straightforward than now @drpaulhurley @Jessie__Lyon @RuthieLittle

We have hit the right level of ambition in the timelines - Tamara Finkelstein.

Drop in participation from ELS to Countryside Stewardship. Are you envisaging ELS levels of participation or CS levels of participation? - we are not re-creating ELS, but the aspiration is for high engagement. Schemes needs to work, pays them enough to be attractive, easy to use.

Barry Gardiner now - I saw him birdwatching on Hampstead Heath a couple of weeks ago. Cares about the environment.

If there isn't a high level of financial incentive in ELM, aren't farmers only going to engage in ELM on marginal land? Gardiner pushing on issue of food production and eco services, and wants details on payments. Do you have ability to impose penalties when standards not met?

More to do to work out what the payments look like to make ELM attractive plus different payment mechanisms. From the response to NFU etc. that this is the direction of travels that farmers want - Tamara Finkelstein. @RuthieLittle @drpaulhurley @Jessie__Lyon

Barry Gardiner - not the transformation we were promised. 'I don't recognise that description' - Tamara Finkelstein.

85,000 BPS beneficiaries, 30000 in agri-environment agreements. Got to make agri-environment more attractive. We need to think what is wrong with Countryside Stewardships - delays in payment, low payments - David Kennedy. @RuthieLittle @Jessie__Lyon @drpaulhurley

'What is this public money going to deliver? Give me a metric'. Barry Gardiner getting frustrated. Tone now confrontational. 'Give me details'. Barry will need another walk on Hampstead Heath after this. - KPIs under development @RuthieLittle @drpaulhurley @Jessie__Lyon

Outcomes and value for money are the aims of this. Productivity must be driven up too as it won't be as much as BPS - David Kennedy.

Will the number of accredited advisors match promises made? Will ELM be so complicated that an advisor will be needed for everyone? (Advice a key theme of our upcoming reports too).

We want land managers to be doing this without advice if it is simple enough. You will not need one advisor per farmer. There are advisers already out there advising on Countryside Stewardship. We are working towards accredited advisors - David Kennedy @drpaulhurley @RuthieLittle

Will accredited advisors be able to sign off agreements instead of NE or RPA? - we want an accredited advisor to say 'this person signed up to do x, I've walked round the farm, they've done it' then we pay. Primary role to accredited advisors - David K. @RuthieLittle @cachivers

This is a fundamental change to what farmers have been used to - @neil_parish. Tests and Trials are being used to test different mechanisms, including on advice and support for groups of farmers to get together - Tamara Finkelstein.

Where are you with the IT system for ELM? - formal decision to use and improve the current system (CAP delivery system) for first phase of ELM pilot. @

Do you have the confidence of the farmers in this? What feedback are you getting from farmers about the IT system? - I don't think the major problem that farmers have with the CAP system is the IT system, it's the rules within which the system operates - David K.

Great q on broadband coverage - key theme in our work coming soon @Jessie__Lyon @RuthieLittle How will farmers without broadband be able to access ELM? - trying to address broadband deficit, alternative routes, can't exclude because don't have online access - David K.

Nobody be will excluded because of broadband access - David K @Jessie__Lyon @RuthieLittle @drpaulhurley. Follow-up from @neil_parish on this - will everyone have to be online? - open to everybody, solution for those people without online access will be found. Most farmers online.

I though this was 2 hours, apparently it's 3 hours. I am running out of steam.... @Alicemidmer @FayeShortland

The cost of delivering Countryside Stewardship is far too high at the moment, though this is improving. We are hampered by the rules. We are looking to design a system without all of those rules, only things necessary are those that contribute to the outcome - David Kennedy.

Farmers will have to adapt to the new system, will they be able to and maintain their businesses?
@neil_parish
That's what most of the evidence says, yes - David Kennedy.

Farmers leaving with dignity if they have to is important @neil_parish