| News
Only £10 million pounds investment needed a year to
ensure we still have harvests by the end of the century
UK soil is being destroyed 10 times the rate it is being created, costing £1.2 billion annually in England and Wales and
currently the Environment Agency resources only allow for visits to less than 1% of farms per year.
10 million pounds
a year in England
is needed to
ensure the
agricultural sector
is still productive
at the end of the century, and
would reverse the declining health
of our rivers according to a new
report launched today by WWF,
the Angling Trust and the Rivers
Trust. The report also argues that
huge benefits could be generated
for nature and society if farm
subsidies were redirected to
incentivising farmers to change
land use in small areas of
farmland.
The agriculture sector, which is
responsible for £8 billion of UK
GDP and employs almost half a
million people, is at risk due to
poor farming and land
management practices. This is
causing soil to be destroyed at
approximately 10 times the rate it
is being created, costing £1.2
billion a year in England and
Wales. WWF research has also
shown that up to a third of farmers
may be non-compliant with
England’s current water protection
legislation. This has been made
worse by lack of enforcement; new
data found that the Environment
Agency’s current resources only
allow for visits to less than 1% of
farms each year.
This has led to:
• Widespread soil degradation,
reducing our future food security
• Pollution of our rivers from
sediment, nutrients, chemicals and
slurry from agriculture
• Increased flood risk to homes
and businesses
• Increased costs for local
£
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authorities, water bill payers and
port authorities.
The estimated costs of rolling
out effective enforcement in
England, to prevent soil erosion
and pollution of watercourses,
would initially be £5.8m per year,
but this would decrease after the
first five years. A mere 0.5%
reduction in soil degradation costs
would cover this and would pay
for a “two strikes” model which
includes proactive – rather than
reactive - checking of farms;
issuing warnings and offering
advice to correct problems; and
following up with sanctions and
prosecutions for failure to address
issues.
Creating a properly funded,
locally coordinated advice service
is critical to help farmers
implement rules and manage the
environment. It is estimated that
increased advisory presence in
England would cost £3.2 million
per year.
Tony Juniper, Executive Director
of WWF commented:
“Healthy soil is vital for our
national security, yet we continue
to cause immense damage to it,
not only threatening our long term
food supply but also harming our
rivers and wildlife. None of this is
inevitable though. We could have
a farming system that restores
soils and wildlife, while at the same
time stopping agricultural run-off
polluting our rivers. To do this we
need not only the right legislation,
however, but also robust
enforcement and proper advice for
farmers, otherwise new policies
simply won’t work. The good news
is that this will cost only about 10
million pounds a year.”
The UK Government has
already signalled its intention to
phase out direct payments to
farmers and move to a new land
management usage system where
public money is put towards the
provision of public goods. If small
areas changed their use then it
could deliver a number of benefits
for nature and society. The report
estimates that payments to fully
reimburse farmers for changing
land-use on small areas would
cost less than £500m per year[3]
in England. The current £2 billion
CAP subsidy for England would
easily provide for this, and leave
significant room for investment in
other environmental objectives
and farm business productivity.
These recommendations are
just some of the nine key steps
needed to reverse the damage
that poor land use and improper
farming techniques are doing to
UK soils.
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of
the Angling Trust and Fish Legal
said:
“We have had fine words
acknowledging the very serious
problem of soil loss and
agricultural pollution in both the
government’s 25 year Environment
Plan and the current Food and
Farming White Paper. But warm
words are no substitute for action
and this report shows how the
government really could make
good on its promise to use public
payments for public good to
safeguard future food production
and reverse current declines in fish
and other wildlife that depend on
healthy, unpolluted waterways.”
The report highlights the
significant cost savings associated
with investing in enforcement,
advice, and incentives for land-use
change and ad vice. At the moment
the UK currently spends £3billion
on agricultural subsidies[4].
“Healthy soil is vital for our
national security, yet we
continue to cause immense
damage to it”
Arlin Rickard, Chief Executive of
the Rivers Trust commented:
“This report speaks directly to
the government’s current
consultation, Health and Harmony:
The Future for Food, Farming and
the Environment in a Green Brexit,
and sets out in stark terms the
reality on many farms, together
with environmental failings under
the current system. In the future
we must properly support our
farmers with the guidance,
incentives and funding necessary,
not only to produce food to the
highest standard, but also the vital
ecosystem services that support
community health and well-being
and underpins sustainable socio
economic development."
The UK Government is currently
consulting on the future of farming
after we leave the European
Union. This presents a unique
opportunity to shape the future of
UK farming, land use and soil
protection, ensuring that future
generations have good quality soil
and water which will benefit
nature, health and the economy of
the UK.
May 2018 | Farming Monthly | 07