Consultation on the Environmental Land Management Scheme 
We took part this week on an online consultation on Defra's proposed Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) which will encourage farmers, foresters and others to use environmentally sustainable practices in managing their land. In other words, they will be paid to provide 'public goods' such as better water management and ecologically diverse planting schemes rather than only producing food or other cash-crops. The scheme is intended to help Britain achieve outcomes such as climate change mitigation and improved biodiversity and will come into effect in 2024. Included under the 'public goods' land managers will be encouraged to provide is greater public access to land on a permissive basis - this will apply to specified user-groups, including equestrians.  
Part of our contribution was to note that access to permissive bridleways under Defra's former system - the Higher Level Stewardship scheme - was not always well promoted, leaving riders and walkers in the dark as to new areas they could potentially enjoy.  
Tagged as: Access, Land management
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