Green lobby groups demand extra £2bn for agriculture budget

Environmental groups have added their weight to calls for the new Labour government to bolster the farm support budget “significantly” in order to deliver the sustainable agriculture MPs say they want.

The latest demand is made in a new “scale of need” report from the RSPB, the National Trust and the Wildlife Trusts, which puts the cost of meeting the government’s legally binding nature and climate targets at £5.5bn to £5.9bn a year.

See also: NFU Cymru calls for £79m uplift in BPS funding

That compares with the current UK agricultural budget of £3.5bn, of which just 25% goes on agri-environment schemes. The three groups say this must be topped up by at least £2bn, to encourage more nature-friendly farming.

“Across the UK, farmers are already experiencing the worsening impacts of the nature and climate crisis, with drought and flooding significantly impacting UK food production,” the report says.

“Investing in nature restoration is a necessary, long-term strategy that will help to future-proof UK farming, while also mitigating against the wider impacts of climate change.”

The figure of £5.5bn to £5.9bn was calculated using an updated “scale of need” model, which identifies the land management actions required, then estimates what this will mean in terms of income forgone by farmers and the costs of delivery.

Estimates

The figure of more than £5bn of public funding is in line with estimates from other rural organisations, which point out that the current budget has not increased since 2013 under the pre-Brexit CAP.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw has put the figure at £5.6bn, in order to give farmers the confidence to invest in their businesses and help the government meet its twin aims of delivering food security and enhancing the environment.

Mr Bradshaw said the lack of any funding commitment was causing major anxiety among farmers and growers, and he urged the government to translate its “warms words into meaningful policy”.

Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, has also emphasised the need for a “step change” in public funding for agri-environment schemes.

“Our ability to grow plentiful food long-term depends on improved soil health and water quality, increased resilience to flooding and drought, and nature thriving on farms,” he said.

“Paying for this is not a negative cost to society, but a vital investment to secure our long-term food production capacity.”

Wider spending review

But the government is remaining tight-lipped over its spending plans for agriculture, reiterating that the future farming budget will be part of the government’s wider review of spending later this year.

A Defra spokeswoman said the government was committed to introducing a “new deal” for farmers that will “boost food security, restore nature and support rural economic growth”.

“We are fully committed to the Environmental Land Management scheme,” she added.