Truss-favoured thinktank attacks ‘massive transfer of wealth’ to landowners

UK government criticised for reviewing plan to pay farmers for environmental protection

One of Liz Truss's favourite rightwing thinktanks has criticised the government for considering ditching a much-vaunted new funding structure for farmers, calling the existing subsidy system a massive transfer of wealth from taxpayers to landowners".

Truss has announced plans to review the environmental land management scheme (Elms), where farmers would be paid for environmental protection, in order, potentially, to go back to largely area-based payments. The plans were criticised as being deeply economically inefficient" and for encouraging laziness" by the Institute of Economic Affairs.