12 July 2024
The Labour Party took the majority in the UK General Election, with their manifesto promising for agriculture and environment with the introduction of a land-use framework, the expansion of nature-rich habitats including peatlands and forests, and ensuring that environment land management schemes work for farmers and nature.
Steeve Reed was appointed as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and was quick to set out the new government’s five priorities for the environment. These include cleaning up lakes and rivers, supporting farmers to boost food security and ensuring nature recovery – themes which all have soils at their heart. Steve Reed had his first meeting with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) President on Monday, where the farming budget, food security and farm business profitability were discussed. Daniel Zeichner has been appointed as farming minister.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued a warning on the degradation of global soils, saying that 90% of land surface could be degraded by 2050. A press release followed the international conference on soil, highlighting that 75% of global soils are already degraded, and pledged to support member nations to create a ‘world soil health index’ to track progress.
Glastonbury music festival took place at the end of June, and an article has since been published describing the ways in which its organisers take action to protect soil health. The festival, which takes place in Somerset, is known for its commitment to the environment, and actions pertaining to soil health include regular soil testing and analysis, covering the areas of ground during the festival to prevent compaction and the festival’s fallow years allowing the ground to recover.
An article in The Scotsman has discussed how the term ‘regenerative’ could do more harm than good when applied to Scottish farming. Following a discussion around the term at The Royal Highland Show, industry leaders said that the idea of regenerative could cause divisions within the sector and hinder progress, and pointed to the importance of ensuring an evidence-led approach, especially if the regenerative concept is to begin shaping policy.
Jennifer Rowntree, Professor in Ecological Genetics at the University of Plymouth has written an article on the various technologies which help farmers monitor and improve soil health. New technologies which help detect change over time or between management practices are sensitive to the huge variation in soil conditions, and include satellite sensors, animal sensors and DNA detection.
A new variety of winter barley has been added to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) recommended list thanks to its resistance to yellow mosaic virus (BaYMV) and other soil borne diseases. BaYMV can reduce yields by up to 50%, and can persist in the soil for up to 20 years.
A team of researchers from Nottingham Trent University are collaborating with a European research consortium to study the role of subsoil in maintaining overall soil health. Subsoil sits below the top 30cm of soil, though is relatively unexplored compared to the topsoil. The project, funded by Horizon Europe, will involve the sampling and measurement of subsoils across Europe and will monitor the nutrient interaction between soil layers.
We will be taking a short summer break from the Week in Soil blog, and we’ll be back on 2nd August!