Letter to Dame Angela Eagle: Common Land and Commoners excluded from ELM Schemes

The New Forest Association is a conservation charity formed in 1867 with the purpose of protecting and conserving the New Forest – the legal title to which you hold on behalf of the nation.  It is acknowledged by all that centuries of traditional stock grazing by commoners has shaped the New Forest we know today. Indeed, commoning continues to play a vital role in securing the renowned biodiversity of the New Forest which, though one of the smaller national parks, contains at 54% the highest proportion of protected landscapes (SSSIs, SACs & SPAs) as well as the highest density of visitors at over 15million day visits per year.

It is thus most troubling to learn that no common land will be able to enter Sustainable Farming Incentive or Countryside Stewardship Scheme Higher Tier agreements in 2026. Furthermore, that your department cannot guarantee there will be access in 2027. We understand that this is simply because the computer software that underpins the Rural Payments Agency cannot cope with the large field parcels that typically make up commons.

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