5 April 2024
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) has shared the Government’s response to their 2023 inquiry into soil health. Though the government responded positively to some recommendations made in the report, the committee point to vagueness on some of the report’s key issues, including plans for its Big Soil Stocktake which was announced in November 2023.
The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced last week that it will limit the amount of land that can be entered into some Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions amid concerns over food security. The six actions limited under the new rule, which include planting flower-rich grass margins and grassy field corners, can now cover a maximum of 25% of land.
Natural England has shared progress on its five-year field study the England Ecosystem Survey (EES). The is the largest of its kind and will involve the collection of information on soils and landscapes to inform future environmental decision making. A number of soil metrics are being assessed, including chemical properties and earthworm counts.
The Scottish Government has announced new measures which farmers and crofters will need to undertake to qualify for agricultural support payments from 2025. Among the changes is the introduction of a Whole Farm Plan, which will require the completion of two baselining activities from a list which includes soil analysis and biodiversity audits. Scotland’s new agricultural support framework is set to begin in 2027.
A group of MPs have criticised the government over the delay of its Land Use Framework, which was initially set to be published last year. The Land Use Framework will map out current land uses in the UK and detail how this will need to change to meet nature and climate goals, as well as current concerns around food security. The Environmental Audit Committee’s chair Philip Dunne has suggested that classifying food security as a public good under Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) could help address these concerns.
The British Standards Institute (BIS) has launched its new standard, BSI Flex 701, which is designed to promote consistent, high-integrity nature markets across the UK. Backed by Defra, the standards aim to increase confidence in private sector investment in nature to help reach their target of £1 billion of private investment into nature per year by 2030. The consultation on the new standards is open until 1 May.
A group of farmers have signed up to a new campaign calling for Universal Basic Income (UBI) to be paid to all farmers in Britain, saying that limitations to the various EU Common Agriculture Policy replacement schemes leave them worse off. The group say that providing a UBI would make farming more accessible to new entrants and would allow farmers to experiment with nature friendly methods without fear of yield loss.
A study has shown that Australia’s soil could become a net carbon emitter due to extreme heat and drought, and will mean that the country is unable to reach its climate goals. The study’s modelling showed that until 2045, soil will sequester carbon, however from 2070, this accrual would not be enough to counteract the carbon loss in Australia’s interior caused by drier and hotter conditions.