Farmers are entering a "critical period" as new schemes bed in, a regional landowners' leader has warned.
Mark Riches, Country Land and Business Association (CLA) acting regional director in the East, said rural business have faced a "tumultuous" year with levels of inflation not witnessed since the early 1980s and interest rates at their highest level since the financial meltdown of 2008.
Next year the CLA would be striving to ensure Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes - specifically the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and improved Countryside Stewardship - are ready and fit for purpose, he said.
"Effective scheme implementation and delivery will be critical and we will maintain pressure to ensure the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) rises to the challenge."
This year the sector in the region had shown its resilience, he believed." Although many businesses have been challenged by the unpredictability of the rural economy, there have been a number of positives that can be taken forward into 2024."
The government’s Unleashing Rural Opportunity policy paper adopted many of the proposals put forward by the CLA’s Rural Powerhouse campaign, he said.
"For example, changes in permitted development rights that introduce much needed flexibility for rural businesses, and definitive deadlines for digital connectivity procurement constitute two major wins for the CLA."
But volatility still dogs the sector - from unpredictable grain prices to extreme weather which made harvest a challenge.
"Following the heatwave of 2022 it was the wet weather that dominated farmers’ thoughts during the 2023 summer in the East.
"Persistent periods of heavy rain made gathering in the harvest a frustrating, drawn-out affair, testing the patience of even the most experienced of land managers. Further heavy rain and flooding in the autumn made drilling more difficult and hampered efforts to lift root crops."
The CLA regularly raised flooding resilience issues with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Environment Agency - and the adverse effects on farmers, he said.
"We believe it is wrong that landowners don’t receive compensation when the Environment Agency effectively floods their fields to protect downstream houses and villages, despite the harm to their crops and livelihoods.
"When farmers do attempt to implement flood prevention techniques, they face lengthy authorisation delays and costs, creating a lose-lose situation."
One of farmers' challenges is the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to be replaced by new schemes, said Mr Riches.
"While it is positive that such a wide range of initiatives are being funded, getting to grips with the multiple schemes on offer and determining which options could be of interest to each business is not straightforward.
"As a result, much of our work in 2023 focused on disseminating information and helping our members, who are a range of farmers, landowners and rural businesses, navigate their way through various schemes.
"This included CLA events in Suffolk and Essex as well as regular webinars for our members that updated them on the latest announcements."
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