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New study finds at least £4.4bn a year needed for nature and climate-friendly farming to meet legal targets
• UK and devolved governments must invest at least £4.4bn a year in nature and climate-friendly farming to meet environmental commitments.
• The RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust are calling for urgent investment to fund nature and climate friendly farming to achieve net zero, restore priority habitats and wildlife, and protect soil and water resources.
• The charities say current incentive schemes fall short, and more ambition is needed to help farmers bring back nature and tackle climate change while producing food sustainably.
• The RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust are calling for urgent investment to fund nature and climate friendly farming to achieve net zero, restore priority habitats and wildlife, and protect soil and water resources.
• The charities say current incentive schemes fall short, and more ambition is needed to help farmers bring back nature and tackle climate change while producing food sustainably.
A new study published today shows that at least £4.4bn a year must be invested in nature and climate-friendly farming by the UK and devolved governments over the next decade to meet legally binding commitments.
The new report, An assessment of the financial resources needed for environmental land management in the UK, is written by an independent economist [1] and reveals that at least £4.4bn a year needs to be directed solely towards agri-environment schemes that will allow the UK to achieve its net zero greenhouse gas emissions target on land, halt and reverse the catastrophic declines of nature, improve air and water quality, and look after our cultural heritage.
The UK government currently spends about £3.5bn in total on agricultural subsidies each year. According to the report, which was commissioned by the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust, the ‘scale of need’ has risen due to ongoing declines which have not been sufficiently tackled, leading to new environmental commitments and legally binding targets, most notably to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, factors such as the war in Ukraine and the associated cost of living crisis have led to significant changes in the cost drivers impacting UK agriculture.
1 in 9 species in the UK now face extinction and we continue to see nature declines in freefallDirector of public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts
The report builds on two previous studies and underlines that investment in agri-environment schemes must be on par with the level of ambition required, with the £4.4 billion also needing to support farmers by funding the creation and restoration of priority habitats and wildlife, protecting soil and water resources, and expanding organic farming.
Katie-jo Luxton, RSPB Director of Conservation, said: “Recognising the scale of investment needed includes future proofing our farming system. Put simply, nature underpins our ability to produce food, and without a system resilient to the challenges of the nature and climate emergency, we put our own long term food security at risk.
“Farmers need certainty that the necessary policies and support are in place if they’re to produce healthy food while helping to reverse wildlife declines and restore the environment. We’re concerned current schemes are simply not on track to support farmers to deliver the level of change required.”
Harry Bowell, Director of Land and Nature at the National Trust, said: “Governments have a major opportunity to establish world-leading farming systems that are good for farmers, for people and for nature. But to do that, they must properly invest. As this report shows, the scale of need is growing, and decisive action is urgently needed to support farmers to bring back nature and tackle climate change while producing food sustainably.
“Instead of the uncertainty many are facing, farmers – and the wider public – need assurance that Government promises will translate into proper investment. This is a critical moment in the future of our countryside and politicians must step up.”
Joan Edwards, director of public affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, says:
“The findings of this report are clear – the Treasury must back up political promises with more cash because we can’t continue to take nature for granted. Healthy soils, clean rivers, and thriving insect populations are crucial to our food security – and yet 1 in 9 species in the UK now face extinction and we continue to see nature declines in freefall.
“If we want to reverse this, then we must learn to value nature. This new report shows that a step change in investment from our Governments is badly needed to get wildlife into recovery and take action on land to address the climate crisis. We are calling on all UK Governments to ramp up support for farmers and land managers so they feel it’s worth taking action for nature.”
Download the report: An assessment of the financial resources needed for environmental land management in the UK
Editor’s notes
Future farming events at Groundswell, Wednesday 28th – Thursday 29th June
Industry leaders will gather at the Groundswell regenerative agriculture festival this week to discuss the future of farming. Live debates and screenings, showcasing the very best of nature and climate-friendly farming in the UK, include the transformative new Hungry for Change film which offers a vision of a nature-positive future for food and farming.
Groundswell events include:
Session: How much is enough? Addressing the Scale of Need for Environmental Land Management
Details: A new study commissioned by the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust finds governments must invest at least £4.4bn a year in nature and climate-friendly farming to meet environmental commitments. Join us to discuss what this means for farming policy and environmental delivery, and how this money can best be spent to support farmers, mitigate climate change, and restore nature. The session will also provide an opportunity to put questions about the study's findings both to Defra and representatives from the charities that commissioned the report.
Who: Harry Bowell (National Trust); Alice Groom (RSPB); Craig Bennett (TWT); Jonathan Baker (Defra)
When: 11:30-12:00, Weds 28, The Wildlife Trusts Exhibition Space
Session: Screening of Save Our Wild Isles’ film Hungry for Change + panel discussion
Details: Part of a new major ‘Save Our Wild Isles’ campaign centred around the flagship BBC TV Wild Isles series showcasing the importance of UK nature. This film has been developed by Silverback Films, in collaboration with the National Trust, RSPB and WWF, to raise awareness of the nature and climate crisis, offering a vision of a nature-positive future for food and farming. Organisations behind the film will come together with others for a panel and audience discussion around the messages coming out of the film and how the food and farming sector can respond.
Who: Sue Pritchard (chair), CEO Food, Farming and Countryside Commission; Nick Gates, producer, Silverback Films; Harry Bowell, director of land and nature National Trust; Kate Norgrove, executive director of advocacy and campaigns WWF; Patrick Barker, farmer, Lodge Farm; Steve McLean, head of agriculture, M&S Food.
When: 19:00-20:00 Weds 28, Big Top – Session overview
Session: How do we Build Greater Consensus & Secure Political Leadership to Support the Groundswell of Regenerative, Nature Positive Change Across the Farming Sector?
Details: A new Food, Farming and Nature consensus emerged between farming groups and environmental organisations during the 2023 Oxford conferences. This panel aims to communicate the growing degree of consensus across different interest groups, whilst testing where the three political parties are on food, farming and nature and climate goals as they prepare for the next general election.
Who: Helen Browning OBE (chair), CEO Soil Association; Lord Benyon, Defra minster; Daniel Zeichner, Labour MP for Cambridge; Stuart Roberts, Liberal Democrats’ farming policy lead; and Katie-jo Luxton, director of global conservation RSPB.
When: 13:00-14:00 (Speakers to arrive at 12:40) Thurs 29, Big Top – Session overview
[1] An assessment of the financial resources needed for environmental land management in the UK – The RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust commissioned independent economist Matt Rayment to refine previous estimates of the financial resources needed to meet the UK and devolved governments’ environmental legal obligations and policy priorities through farming and land management.
[2] The utilised agricultural area (UAA) was 16.8 million hectares as of June 2022 and accounted for 69% of the total area of the UK. Gov.uk
[3] A new consensus on the future of farming emerged between farming groups and environmental organisations during the 2023 Oxford conferences. The consensus outlines an agreement on the vital role all four UK nations play in tackling the global challenge of food system change. It’s based on a shared understanding that:
- A healthy natural environment underpins food security;
- Farming does not just produce food to eat but is central to the efforts to tackle the nature, climate and health crises; and
- Diversity in nature, farming systems and communities, along with diversity in farm animals and crops, will support resilience and innovation in the face of climate change and economic challenges
The coalition includes NFFN, Pasture for Life, Rare Breeds Survival Trust, Food, Farming and Countryside Commission, CPRE, Soil Association, Sustain, RSPB, WWF-UK, National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and Woodland Trust, among others.
About the RSPB
The RSPB is the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, protecting habitats, saving species, and helping to end the nature and climate emergency. For over a century we’ve acted for nature through practical conservation and powerful partnerships, campaigning and influence, and inspiring and empowering millions of people, including almost 1.2 million members. Our network of over 200 nature reserves sits at the heart of our world leading science and conservation delivery. Nature is in crisis, but together we can save it.
The Wildlife Trusts
The Wildlife Trusts are making the world wilder and helping to ensure that nature is part of everyone’s lives. We are a grassroots movement of 46 charities with more than 900,000 members and 38,000 volunteers. No matter where you are in Britain, there is a Wildlife Trust inspiring people and saving, protecting and standing up for the natural world. With the support of our members, we care for and restore special places for nature on land and run marine conservation projects and collect vital data on the state of our seas. Every Wildlife Trust works within its local community to inspire people to create a wilder future – from advising thousands of landowners on how to manage their land to benefit wildlife, to connecting hundreds of thousands of school children with nature every year. www.wildlifetrusts.org
National Trust
The National Trust is a conservation charity founded in 1895 by three people: Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, who saw the importance of the nation's heritage and open spaces and wanted to preserve them for everyone to enjoy. Today, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we continue to look after places so people and nature can thrive.
The challenges of the coronavirus pandemic have shown this is more important than ever. From finding fresh air and open skies to tracking a bee's flight to a flower; from finding beauty in an exquisite painting or discovering the hidden history of a country house nearby - the places we care for enrich people's lives.
Entirely independent of Government, the National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 780 miles of coastline and 500 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves. In 2021/22 we received 20 million visitors. The National Trust is for everyone - we were founded for the benefit of the whole nation, and our 5.7 million members and over 44,000 volunteers support our work to care for nature, beauty, history for everyone, for ever.