Help farmers help nature

Whether you write to your MP, talk to them over the phone or meet them in person, it’s important to be clear about what your concerns are, and what you are asking them to do about it.  

It’s best to put your concerns into your own words. Talk about why this issue matters to you. For example, you might miss hearing skylarks regularly or you might have noticed the huge decline of insects over your lifetime. Share your story: MPs love personal stories from constituents.  

Email your MP using our tool

Talk about why you are concerned about the key issues, including: 

• Biodiversity loss and climate change are the biggest medium and long terms threats to UK food production. 

• There is no such thing as food security if nature is in decline. 

• The UK Government needs to ensure its farming reforms deliver for the environment as promised.  

• The UK Government must ensure that ELMs pays good rates for ambitious and effective  nature-friendly farming practices.  

Once you have explained what your concerns are, you need to give your MP a clear ask of what you want them to do. The Wildlife Trusts recommend: 

1. Ask them to read The Wildlife Trusts MP briefing. It provides more detail on the issues, relevant Government policies and our recommendations. It is short, simple and gives them the key information they need to feel confident asking about the subject. Download it here.   

2. Ask them to speak out in support of nature-friendly farming, in the House of Commons and in writing. 

• MPs can ask a question in the House of Commons  

• MPs can write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Barclay, with their concerns and questions  

• We want them to ask for assurance from the Government that ELM will deliver on the Government’s environmental targets and doesn’t only fund business as usual. They need to ask for assurance that ELM contains ambitious standards that will deliver for people and nature.  

3. Encourage them to talk to local farmers about the support they need to take up nature-friendly methods.  

You can email or write a letter to your MP.  

Email your MP using our tool

To find out who your MP is, and see their contact details, search your postcode using the link below. 

Find your MP

MPs are very busy people, so don't be offended if they don't get back to you straight away.  

Your best option for meeting your MP is to ask to meet them in your constituency. You may find it easiest to meet them during one of their constituency surgeries. This is when your MP meets their constituents to talk about things affecting them and for people to raise concerns about politics or local issues. They are even more likely to be able to meet with you while parliament is in recess. 

The first step for organising a meeting is to contact them or the people who work in their constituency office. Arrange a meeting with your MP by sending them a postcard today using our simple tool. 

Send your MP a posctard invitation

The postcard will land on the doormat in their office, and they’ll be back in touch to find a suitable time for you to meet.

By speaking face to face with your MP, you can have a huge impact.

Or if you'd prefer to contact your MP yourself, you can find out who your MP is and their contact details by using this tool: 

Find your MP

When you ask for a meeting, explain what you want to meet your MP about and offer some time(s) and date(s) you’d like to meet. You may have to be flexible about meeting - MPs often have very full diaries but should make time for everyone. MPs often spend Fridays in their constituencies, so this may be a good day to organise a meeting.   

Don't forget to put your full postal address on anything you write to your MP so they know you live in their constituency. 

If you have a friend or family member in the same constituency who also cares about nature-friendly farming, you could bring them along so you’re not on your own.  

MPs want to hear from you, but they are pressed for time so don't expect meetings to last too long. Generally, appointments will last around 10-15 minutes – it helps to have your key messages ready. 

Watch this recording of a workshop ran by our Campaigns Officer Chris coverying everything you need to know, from practical steps to how to be persuasive. By the end of the recording, you'll feel ready to talk to your MP. 

Watch the recording 

You might find it helpful to prepare in advance and perhaps even rehearse what you want to say beforehand. It's also important to research who your MP is. Find out what they care about and whether or not they have taken an active interest in the environment before - that way you can go into the meeting fully prepared. You can find a lot of that information using TheyWorkForYou. 

Share your story: 

MPs love personal stories. Share yours with them. You don’t need to be an expert; you just need to tell them why you care about nature-friendly farming.  

Have a clear ask:  

To make your meeting as successful as possible, make sure you know what you're asking your MP to do.  

The key Wildlife Trust recommendations are: 

• Farm payment schemes which go further and faster in supporting farmers to bring nature back into their farm businesses.  

• Policy changes that help to end the dependency on pesticides and artificial fertilisers. 

• Stronger safeguards to reduce pollution in our waterways. Pollution from farming is responsible for 40% of England's waters to fail quality standards.  

• Evidence that farming policies will deliver against the Government’s environmental targets.  This includes a legal requirement to halt the decline of nature by 2030, a target to reach net zero by 2050, and the newly signed Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that stipulates 30% of land and sea must be protected for nature by 2030.   

Don’t worry if you’re not an expert:  

It’s your MP’s job to listen to you and you will probably know far more than them - just be passionate about the issue.  

Take a photo: 

Ask your MP if you can take a photo with them - this is a great way to let others know that people have been speaking to them about nature’s recovery, and to encourage them to do the same. MPs often like the publicity too! 

We’d love to hear if your MP replies to you or if you manage to meet them. Let us know by emailing us at campaigning@wildlifetrusts.org