PR - Farmer's Reaction To Decoupling Policy In LFAs: A Farm Based Study In Northumberland England

Introduction: The purpose of this paper is to provide farm-level information of the impact of recent policy changes on agriculture in Less Favoured Areas (LFAs). Our main contribution is the presentation of an integrated view of mixed impact of Single Farm Payment (SFP), the decoupling policy and Agri-Environmental Schemes (AESs) by examining farm-level financial conditions. The study reported here calculates not only the changes in agricultural incomes but also highlights changes in land use and livestock numbers that could influence the economy and environment of the countryside. The next section contains a brief review of the literature, followed by a concise description of our case study methodology in Northumberland, North East of England. The results of on-farm interviews are then examined focusing on changes in land use, labour, AESs and livestock numbers with reference to the policy changes.