Government launches its Environmental Improvement Plan - will it deliver for climate, nature and health?

The Environmental Improvement Plan can deliver what the public cares about: healthier food, thriving wildlife, clean rivers, climate resilience and fairer access to green spaces. So we were pleased to see the plan recognise that farming and food security depend on a healthy natural environment, and include new commitments on soil health, nutrient pollution and pesticide reduction, as well as the £2.7 billion a year earmarked for sustainable farming and nature recovery.

We are pleased to see clearer accountability for delivery and a more detailed road map in this plan. However, it still misses the chance to give urgently needed, practical support to farmers, especially smaller, nature-friendly and organic farmers, to restore nature, cut emissions and keep communities fed with healthy, sustainable food.

There are targets to bring 40% of England’s agricultural soils into sustainable management by 2028, rising to 60% by 2030, alongside better soil data and guidance for farmers – but our long-term food security relies on all soils being managed sustainably. We also welcome plans to cut nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution from agriculture, and the new pesticide load reduction target linked to the National Action Plan on pesticides, which are essential for cleaner rivers, thriving wildlife, climate action and long-term food security. Yet the overall level of ambition remains modest, with pollution targets such as a 12% cut in agricultural nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment by 2030 compared to 2018, and a 10% reduction in pesticide load in the arable sector, which should be seen as a first step on a much longer journey rather than an end point. It is positive to see recognition of the need to reduce risks from chemicals in sewage sludge spread on farmland.

There is a new target to double the number of farms providing sufficient year-round resources for farm wildlife, by 2030. This needs to embrace the use of agroecological approaches such as organic to maximise environmental benefits year-round, year after year through things like slashing pesticide use and avoiding treating fields with weedkiller.

Our work through Soil Association Exchange shows that with the right baselining and monitoring in place, farmers can track improvements, access green finance and green supply chains, and deliver real benefits for climate, nature and food security. The government must now prioritise effective baselining and monitoring so that environmental improvements on farm can be measured in real time and rewarded fairly. On long-range ammonia pollution, we will also be looking to see whether the UK genuinely prioritises this issue in the current Geneva negotiations under the Gothenburg Protocol, given the Plan’s commitment to work with partners through the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on new long-term air quality commitments. Getting to grips with excess nitrogen in our environment is one of the key challenges of our time, and the UK needs to show a lead in international negotiations on this issue.

However, the everyday scheme that most farmers rely on, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, is still not accessible to new applicants and we need guarantees of future funding of the Environmental Land Management budget, and there is still no explicit recognition or dedicated support for the high value , nature, climate and animal welfare benefits that organic and agroecological farmers already deliver. Organic farming, which can simultaneously reduce pesticide use, restore soils and cut nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions, is not mentioned in the EIP, despite its huge potential and the fact it gives consumers a direct way to support the transition through their buying choices.

The EIP also leans heavily on future strategies such as the Farming Roadmap, the Land Use Framework and the Food Strategy, which leaves big gaps on how Government will provide the independent advice, peer-to-peer learning and long-term, locally rooted support networks needed for nature-friendly farming at scale.

It is positive to see training and apprenticeships for land-based green skills mentioned. Scaling up access to training for a new generation of growers is a key ask for the UK Fruit and Veg Coalition, of which we are a leading member.

On food access, the Plan largely frames food security in terms of supply chains and shocks, with little concrete action to ensure all communities can afford healthy food produced in ways that restore nature and support local farmers. Through our Sustainable Food Places network and Food for Life Served Here, we see communities already working hard to ensure children and those most at risk can access fresh, healthy food, but this Plan does not yet deliver the practical support they need quickly enough.

Brendan Costelloe, Soil Association, said: “The Environmental Improvement Plan shows that government understands farming, nature and food security are inseparable, but it still does not give farmers the confidence that the transition will be fair or fast enough. New soil, nutrient and pesticide targets are welcome, and the headline funding is significant. However, without a clearly ringfenced budget for the Sustainable Farming Incentive and dedicated support for nature-friendly farming – including an Organic Action Plan - like almost every other country in Europe, including now Scotland, we won’t get more nature onto the farmland that makes up the vast majority of the country, and we won’t meet the Environment Act Targets.

Consumers and communities are already changing how they eat and source food because they know their food choices affect wildlife, climate and local farmers. What they need now is government backing for the farmers who are ready to lead this shift, with stable, accessible support for smaller and organic farms, investment in local supply chains, and a food strategy that puts good, sustainable food within everyone’s reach.” "