31 January

The English Government has launched a consultation on its new Land Use Framework, a toolkit guiding landowners in their decision making and land management strategies. The consultation will seek views from farmers, landowners, businesses and nature groups across the length and breadth of the country.

The Climate and Nature Bill, written to hold the UK to new legally binding targets on climate change and protecting nature has failed to clear its first vote in the House of Commons. MPs voted to end debate of the bill, meaning it will not return to the House of Commons until July and is unlikely to become law.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (DAERA)(Daera) Minister Andrew Muir has released a written statement outlining his plans for the new Sustainable Agriculture Programme to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Muir states that the programme will be underpinned by ‘financial and environmental sustainability’.

The Department for the Environment, Farming, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed its decision to withdraw emergency authorisation of the neonicotinoid Cruiser SB. Cruiser SB is an insecticide used in growing sugar beet and accumulates in the soil, which has negative impacts on soil biodiversity.

Waitrose has partnered with Land App, a digital mapping tool provider, to help more than 2,000 farmers across the UK gather real-time data on the environmental health of their land, measuring over 60 sustainability metrics including multiple soil health indicators.

The Wildlife Trusts have published a briefing – Environmental Land Management schemes & Food Security – which outlines the case for increased investment in nature for UK Food Security. The briefing calls for an increase to the annual farming budget to £3.1 billion in England to support nature-friendly farming.

Carbon credits from the world’s largest soil carbon project, the Northern Kenya Grasslands Project, have been suspended by the carbon offset certifier Verra following a quality control review conducted after many local civil society groups raised concerns over the integrity of the project.

Results from a 25-year study on soil carbon gain indicates a roadmap for how different farming practices can build soil carbon to different degrees and at different rates in different soil types and under varying conditions. The extensive study trialled a variety of crops using multiple growing practices and have published comprehensive datasets indicating the effect on soil carbon sequestration.