Gove hails plans to reward UK farmers for adopting green policies

Payments under EU's CAP will be replaced by subsidies based on environmental protections

The UK's biggest landowners will see the payments they receive from the public purse fall sharply from 2021 in what would be the biggest shake-up of farming for decades.

From 2021, a new system rewarding farmers for the public goods they provide will be phased in until 2027 when the last payments based on the amount of land farmed will be made. In place of the 3bn a year farmers currently receive under the EU's common agricultural policy (CAP), farmers will be expected to sign environmental land management contracts detailing their commitments to protecting habitats, improving flood management and enhancing air and water quality.