Details of long-awaited farm subsidies overhaul in England revealed

Farmers will be eligible for funding for up to 280 actions that protect environment under new system

• New farm subsidies regime could be great for nature – if properly funded

Farmers in England will be able to receive government funding for up to 280 different actions that protect the environment, from conserving hedgerows to maintaining peatlands, under a comprehensive overhaul of farming subsidies.

The long-awaited announcement on Thursday shows farmers what will be expected of them if they apply for government incentives called environmental land management schemes (ELMs), worth £2.4bn a year for this parliament.