요약
The Agriculture Act 2020 establishes the post-Brexit framework for agricultural support in England. It replaces the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which had centred on area-based direct payments to landowners, with a new system of 'public money for public goods'. The Act empowers the Secretary of State to give financial assistance to land managers for achieving environmental, social, and agricultural outcomes, rather than simply for farming land. The transition period (2021-2028) progressively reduces legacy direct payments while new Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes are introduced: the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for standard environmental management, Local Nature Recovery for more ambitious local nature projects, and Landscape Recovery for large-scale ecosystem restoration. Beyond financial assistance, the Act creates a fair dealing regime for agricultural supply chains, requiring written contracts and prohibiting unfair trading practices; establishes a duty on the Secretary of State to report on food security; allows retention and reform of marketing standards for agricultural products; and provides for producer organisations and data-sharing obligations. The Act applies only to England — Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their own post-Brexit agricultural legislation.
핵심 포인트
- Section 1: Secretary of State may give financial assistance for specified purposes including protecting the environment, public access to the countryside, managing flood risk, promoting animal health and welfare, and supporting rural communities — the 'public goods' framework
- Sections 3-4: agricultural transition period 2021-2028 — direct payments are progressively reduced and eventually abolished; new ELM schemes (SFI, Local Nature Recovery, Landscape Recovery) replace them
- Section 8: multi-annual financial assistance plans must be published by the Secretary of State, setting out the amounts and purposes of financial assistance
- Part 3 (ss.23-33): fair dealing in agricultural supply chains — the Secretary of State may by regulations impose requirements for written contracts, fair dealing obligations, and fair distribution of profits in sectors designated by order
- Section 19: food security reporting — the Secretary of State must report to Parliament on food security matters at least every 5 years, covering UK self-sufficiency, global food markets, and supply chain resilience
- Part 5: marketing standards — retained EU law on marketing standards for agricultural products may be amended by statutory instrument
편과 조
개정 이력
2021 — Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Act 2020
Scotland enacted parallel legislation establishing its own framework for agricultural support after EU exit, operating separately from the England 2020 Act.
2024 — Statutory instruments under s.1
Multiple statutory instruments under s.1 have expanded the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions, with the 2023 SFI offer significantly expanding the range of paid actions available to English farmers from January 2024.