Three of the country’s largest conservation charities have today called on the UK government to put its money where its mouth is – after new figures reveal that at least £3 billion is needed to support our farmers and land managers to help restore nature and tackle climate change on their land.

image expired

The UK currently spends around £3.2 billion a year on both farm income support and environmental payments under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). New data published today reveals that we need to re-invest this money to support nature-friendly farming.

The RSPB, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts say a long-term financial commitment to pay farmers and land managers is needed if they are to help the UK Government and devolved administrations meet their respective commitments to recover the natural environment and address the climate crisis.

For decades, farmers have struggled within the CAP’s food and farming system that delivers little profit for their produce and few incentives to deliver positive outcomes for the environment. Once we leave the EU and these payments stop, alternative policies will need to be put in place in each of the four UK countries.

The revised figure published today provides justification for re-investing the current annual UK CAP budget to help farmers and land managers to restore nature and tackle climate change on their land, securing a sustainable future for farming and helping the UK Government and devolved administrations to achieve their own environmental ambitions.

The £3bn is required to pay for:

• The recovery of farmland wildlife, such as lapwing, hares, and pollinating insects
• To create and enhance wildlife habitats, including wildflower meadows, peatlands and native woodlands.
• Protect our precious soils, and
• Cut greenhouse gas emissions by restoring ecosystems, planting trees and hedges*.

Patrick Begg, Outdoors and Natural Resources Director at the National Trust, says:

“If the government wants farmers to get on board with restoring nature it must provide the certainty and security of long-term funding, backed by first class and first-hand advisory services. This new evidence really develops our understanding of what investment this will cost to deliver.

“We hope that Ministers will take it on board and guarantee this money for farmers not just for the next one or two years, but at least the next decade. The Agriculture Bill must also be reintroduced to the next session of Parliament, so we don’t lose the progress that’s already been made.”

Ellie Brodie, Senior Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“Nature is in big trouble, with one report after another highlighting steep wildlife declines. Farmers and land managers are uniquely placed to help it recover as they farm around three quarters of our land.  It’s crucial that farmers receive advice on how to help wildlife – as well as incentives to do the work required – but it needs to be paid for.

“We need a strong Environment Bill with ambitious targets for nature’s recovery and to secure the principle of spending public money on public goods in the Agriculture Bill.

“Creating bigger, better natural habitats, boosting pollinators, investing in healthy soils, cleaning up polluted rivers, managing land upstream to stop flooding downstream and bringing back wildlife are all things that are good for farmers and good for the wider population too.”

How much will this cost?

Initial research commissioned by RSPB, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts in 2017, showed that at least £2.3bn would be needed to achieve the UK’s environmental land management priorities. This has now been updated to reflect the latest data and to take into account other factors, such as the costs of providing supporting advice and to lock-in the public goods associated with long-term land use change. This research suggests that at least £2.9 billion a year is needed – this is just under the current annual UK CAP budget. It is important to note that the research relates to the costs associated with government support for nature-friendly farming, it does not cost everything we need to do across the UK to recover our natural environment and achieve net zero carbon across all sectors.

Crucially, this research demonstrates that supporting nature-friendly and climate-friendly farming is affordable. We can re-invest the public money already spent on farming to deliver public goods whilst nurturing a sustainable and resilient farming and land management sector.

CLA Response

“This is welcome research which builds on previous good work outlining some of the financial costs behind commitments on the environment. The figures are a starting point for any conversation on what a future payment system will look like and supports the CLA’s consistent message that more than the current budget will be needed if we are to support the aspirations of the 25 year environmental plan while boosting productivity.

“It is also interesting to see advice included in the modelling. The proposed changes to the system are wide-ranging and farmers will require ongoing support to make the most of these new opportunities. It is for this reason that the CLA has called for an additional £200 million a year investment to increase productivity, skills and knowledge throughout the post-Brexit transition period. This is on top of the investment costed in the paper, but it will also ensure environmental gains are realised by helping farmers produce more with less inputs, while boosting resilience and productive capacity across our farming system.

“The modelling highlights interesting points on “high nature value” farming recognising the huge environmental benefits of many farms where profitability is low. A combination of fair payments which accounts for the full cost of environmental delivery, and business adaptation advice, would help them to remain in business and deliver for wildlife and nature.

“The ball is now firmly in the Government’s court. We need to see more detail on the proposals if farmers are to be expected to deliver environmental gains alongside producing food for the nation.”