Defra shelves bespoke soil health action plan for England

Fears are growing that soil is slipping down the political agenda, after ministers were accused of “breaking a promise” to create a Soil Health Action Plan for England.

The Soil Health Action Plan for England (Shape) was offered by government in October 2021 as a concession to Conservative MPs who were considering voting for a Green Party amendment to the Environment Act, which would have named soil as a priority area on the face of the legislation – bringing it in line with air and water.

See also: Farmers to have say on soil health action plan for England

The plan was supposed to include the development of a healthy soil indicator, soil structure monitoring methodology, and a soil health monitoring scheme to help farmers track the health of their soil over time.

But, in answer to a recent written question from Green peer Natalie Bennett, asking when the Shape would be published, Defra minister Lord Benyon indicated that it would now be wrapped up in a broader Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), due to be published by 31 January.

‘Failure’

Baroness Bennett described the apparent change of emphasis as “another huge government failure” to live up to its promises.

“We do not know what it will contain, but the fact that it is not a standalone plan is deeply concerning,” she said.

“We know what is likely to be seen as sexy and get the media attention; it will be things like pine martens and beavers.

“But the absolute foundation of our food security and environment – and let us not forget there are a billion organisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil – will not get the attention. We can easily see it being little more than a paragraph.”

Dr Alastair Leake, director of the Allerton Project and policy at the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, who has worked extensively on soil policy, was also disappointed.

He said: “Whatever is in the EIP, it is not what we were promised, which was a consultation on Shape. That would have enabled government to garner the experience of the soil-loving community.

“If the EIP has been written by Defra officials, then I fear for its suitability.”

Priority

But a Defra spokesperson played down the idea that soil was slipping down its priorities, pointing to the emphasis on soils in the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) for England.

“Soil health is central to delivering our targets on the environment and improving farm profitability,” he said.

“That is why our upcoming Environmental Improvement Plan will set out the government’s strategic direction for improving and protecting soil health, while our new SFI is rewarding farmers for more sustainable soil and grassland management.”

Defra added that it was also developing a range of soil health monitoring measures to create a robust baseline from which to monitor improvements.