11 October

A report published by Environmental Standards Scotland recommends that the Scottish Government bring forward policies which reflect the EU Soil Monitoring Law. This would formalise a statutory duty to protect and monitor Scottish soils and create mandatory targets for their restoration.

Following an opposition debate day in parliament, calls have been made for the UK government to boost the agriculture budget to £5.6 billion. Despite a cross-party consensus that food security is a critical topic for MPs, farmer confidence in government is reported to be at its lowest level since records began.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is offering farmers in Northern Ireland the opportunity to learn about enhancing soil health on farms through farm visits. This will include innovative approaches to increasing biodiversity and reducing input costs whilst maintaining yields.

This week saw the second edition of the World Living Soils Forum in France bring together over 100 internationally renowned experts together to share knowledge, agree on methodologies for monitoring and impact assessment in order to accelerate the preservation, health, and regeneration of soils.

Verra, a leading standards setter for the voluntary carbon market, has registered the first biochar project using the VM0044 Methodology under its Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. This is a significant step in scaling biochar projects as a viable method for large-scale carbon sequestration.

New research has indicated that enhanced agricultural carbon sinks could prove to be a cost-effective technology which would provide multiple benefits for farmers and the climate, including improved farmland revenues, and indirect cost benefits associated with climate change mitigation.

Sainsbury’s has become the first UK supermarket to stock mushrooms grown without peat across the country. In a step towards peatland restoration, the change in mushroom production has been developed with their supplier Monaghan and will reduce peat usage by 20,465 tonnes annually