11 April

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have appointed former NFU President and farmer Baroness Minette Batters to lead the Farm Profitability Review. This review will propose actions for government and industry that will support farming profitability as part of the government’s New Deal for Farmers.

The heads of 32 UK nature organisations including the Wildlife and Countryside Link, the National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts, have written to the government warning that their proposed planning and infrastructure bill will be damaging to environmental protection and have called for the planning bill to be rebalanced towards nature.

Basic Income for Farmers (BI4Farmers), a campaign advocating for economic stability in the farming sector, has written an open letter co-signed by farmers from around England, as well as Green Party and Labour MPs to Defra food security minister Daniel Zeichner urging for the reinstatement of the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and the introduction of a basic income for all agricultural workers.

Plans for a livestock megafarm in Norfolk have been rejected over environmental concerns. Objections came from NGOs including Sustain and the RSPB, as well as local councillors and groups, raising concerns over soil and water contamination from agricultural runoff and greenhouse gas emissions.

A new modelling study from Rothamsted Research has revealed that targeted regenerative agriculture interventions could deliver multiple ecosystem co-benefits by reducing agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in England up to 30% while significantly improving water quality and biodiversity.

Also on regenerative agriculture, a report from the British Ecological Society titled ‘Regenerative Agriculture in the UK: An ecological perspective’ has added to the growing evidence base linking regenerative practices with improvements in soil health and biodiversity. The report highlights the importance of whole farm approaches, concluding that individual principals of regenerative agriculture used in isolation rarely impact on soil health.

Tree scientists at the UK’s Forest Research agency have mapped England’s non-woodland trees for the first time, using cutting-edge methods of laser detection and satellite imagery. Defra has said this would support the government’s pledge to expand nature-rich habitats and target tree-planting efforts more accurately.

We’ll be taking a break from the Week in Soil next week. Regular editions of Week in Soil will resume on the 25th of April.