21 March

The Conservative Party have dropped their commitment to reaching net zero by 2050 following a policy review within the party. The net zero commitment was emblematic of the cross-party consensus on tackling climate change, meaning that this decision undermines the environmental legacy of previous governments.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee Chair Alastair Carmichael has criticised the tone of language used by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to announce its closure of Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) applications, stating that presenting the suspension of the SFI as a triumph ‘added insult to injury’. The suspension of the SFI means that farmers can no longer apply to join the soil improvement actions along other actions included in SFI.

SoilPoint and Cefetra have teamed up to launch a new soil health initiative in the UK. Up to 36 farmers will be selected to take part in Soil Booster programme, which will help replace synthetic fertilisers currently used on their land with a soil conditioner, developed to help farmers restore depleted topsoil, support crop yields, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving overall soil health.

The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has published its most recent resilience report: Building a resilient food system. The report covers key risks impacting the food system, why climate change and geopolitics pose the gravest threats, and examples of businesses and governments prioritising resilience.

Brazilian researchers have developed the first automated digital permeameter, SoloFlux, a device designed to measure soil hydraulic conductivity—soil’s ability to absorb and retain water. The insights it provides support critical agricultural decisions, including irrigation management, soil conservation, and land-use planning

A recent study by The James Hutton Institute has revealed an increase of up to 1,450 per cent in the level of microplastics found within soil samples after just four years of sewage sludge application. Moreover, the study also showed that the number of microplastics in the soil remained relatively unchanged 22 years after application.

A new report by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission has shown that farmers’ incomes have remained stagnant since the 1970s, despite improvements in productivity and a fall in the workforce. During the same period, the economy has grown, and real-terms wages have risen in other sectors.