Our demands for the new government
Date Published: 18th July 2024
This is a prime moment to write to your local elected candidate (no matter which political party they are part of) to tell them all about the numerous public, social and environmental benefits of CSA and encourage them to provide more support. You can even invite them to visit your CSA farm if you are connected to one. You can find contact details for your local MP here. Use our template letter here or in the button above.
With a new Labour government in place, we will be writing to Steve Reed the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Daniel Zeichner Minister of State at Defra, asking them to offer adequate funding and support to CSAs.
CSA Network UK demands for government
Adequate funding and support for CSAs and new entrants
Most CSAs and small farms operate without government subsidy despite providing many public goods, and are excluded from the majority of grants. Whilst the removal of the 5 hectare limit for the SFI scheme goes some way towards remedying this, currently the range of payment options available are still out of reach of most of our farms. We ask for inclusive grants and subsidies that adequately reward CSA farms for the public goods they provide.
Demand: Inclusive grants and subsidies that adequately reward CSA farms for the public goods we provide.
Many CSAs farmers are new entrants to farming and begin providing food for their local community with little or no funding or support.
Demand: We want to see grants offered for horticultural start-ups and grants for new farmers to access land and equipment.
Horticulture strategy
We want to see CSAs of all types thrive and we encourage the new government to offer more support to British farmers and growers. One clear area where they could have immediate impact would be to deliver a bold cross-departmental horticulture strategy, to ensure a resilient sustainable, UK fruit and veg supply. See here the joint letter we have already sent to the new Secretary of State asking for support to grow the UK fruit and vegetable sector.
Demand: To support our call for a bold cross-departmental horticulture strategy to increase domestic fruit and vegetable production and improve access to fresh, nutritious foods.
Farm payments increased and more guidance
We are pleased to see that the Labour manifesto commits to introducing a land-use framework and to making Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes work for farmers and nature. However we also want to make sure that these schemes are accessible for CSAs in practice, who farm on average 3.19 hectares of land. We would like to see farm payments budgets increased and new start-up and development funds offered for farmers including CSAs. From the Liberal Democrats manifesto we hope that the Labour government takes forward the suggestion that farmers receive proper advice on transitioning to new environmental farm payment schemes and that farmers are rewarded for reducing the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides as part of this.
Demand: We are pleased to see that Environmental Land Management Schemes have recently been opened to farms under 5 hectares, but we want to make sure that these schemes are accessible to CSAs in practice, that adequate guidance is provided and that farm payment budgets are increased to make the work involved in applying for these grants worth it for small farms.
More power in local planning
We are pleased to see the Labour manifesto commitment that local areas are to be given more power over planning and would like to see this support reach CSAs so that they can more easily add new infrastructure and employee accommodation to their sites.
Demand: The new government has committed to give local areas more power in planning decisions. We want greater provision for small farms to facilitate the development of infrastructure and on-site accommodation.
Fairer supply chains and local procurement
We hope that Labour takes on the Green Party commitment to rebalance power between big food companies (such as supermarkets) and the myriad of local alternatives including small growers and farmers with direct sales models, local food networks, community-supported agriculture and other co-operatives.
Demand: Support the continuation and expansion of the work started during the previous government to produce industry-specific codes of conduct to empower farmers and work towards fairer supply chains.
We are pleased to see Labour’s commitment to better public procurement but urge that they adopt a commitment to organic and local food, rather than a target of food that is locally produced or certified to a higher environmental standard.
Demand: We urge the new government to procure 50% of public food from local organic producers (rather than the current target that half of food purchased in the public sector is locally produced OR certified to a higher environmental standard.)
Climate change plan
Demand: Will you help to ensure the new climate change plan to be released in the next year is ambitious in reducing emissions and preventing impacts from climate change?
CSA Network UK demands in brief
- Most CSAs and small farms operate without government subsidy despite providing many public goods, and are excluded from the majority of grants. Will you advocate for inclusive grants and subsidies that adequately reward CSA farms for the public goods we provide?
- Many CSAs farmers are new entrants to farming and begin providing food for their local community with little or no funding or support. We want to see grants offered for horticultural start-ups and grants for new farmers to access land and equipment.
- Will you support our call for a bold cross-departmental horticulture strategy to increase domestic fruit and vegetable production and improve access to fresh, nutritious foods?
- We are pleased to see that Environmental Land Management Schemes have recently been opened to farms under 5 hectares, but we want to make sure that these schemes are accessible to CSAs in practice, that adequate guidance is provided and that farm payment budgets are increased to make the work involved in applying for these grants worth it for small farms.
- The new government has committed to give local areas more power in planning decisions. Will you advocate for greater provision for small farms to facilitate the development of infrastructure and on-site accommodation?
- Will you support the continuation and expansion of the work started during the previous government to produce industry-specific codes of conduct to empower farmers and work towards fairer supply chains? We urge the new government to procure 50% of public food from local organic producers (rather than the current target that half of food purchased in the public sector is locally produced OR certified to a higher environmental standard.)
- Will you help to ensure the new climate change plan to be released in the next year is ambitious in reducing emissions and preventing impacts from climate change?