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Birds, bees, and butterflies suffer as Brexit farming promises are broken

The Government’s “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to transform farming from being a leading cause of declines in UK wildlife has been greeted with disappointment by conservationists.

The Wildlife Trusts, National Trust and RSPB are deeply concerned that the Government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive is failing to come up with ambitious financial rewards, undermining their ability to boost nature-friendly farming.

The three organisations feel that Sustainable Farming Incentive standards must have a minimum requirement on farmers and land managers to manage 10 per cent of their land for nature, and an option for improving access – it does not do this.

They believe that promises made by the Government in its 25-year environment plan are now in jeopardy, instead of playing a central role in nature’s recovery. And it would mean nature-friendly farmers will be left behind as larger farms reap the benefits.

Conservationists and farmers were hoping that the Government would encourage farmers to stop harming the environment with air and water pollution and soil erosion, but the plan will mean few changes.

And in Lancashire, where the Wildlife Trust’s pioneering carbon farm is offering an agricultural solution which can benefit the environment, wildlife and farmers, there is concern that this and similar innovative opportunities will be missed.

An aerial shot over the carbon farm at Winmarleigh Moss, where green agricultural land borders a restored peatland landscape that is filling with water

The Winmarleigh carbon farm

The concerns have risen as the Government published details of the eagerly awaited scheme to pay farmers for managing land more sustainably, restoring nature and tackling climate change.

It comes on the first anniversary of the Agriculture Act – a significant moment revealing the extent of the Government’s ambition to improve the 70 per cent of our land that is farmed since Brexit and our departure from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.

But yesterday’s announcement does not bode well for nature, climate, or farming.

Instead of causing air and river pollution, nature-friendly farming can help to clean up our countryside and reverse the UK’s label of being one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world to a shining example where nature is in recovery. That vision is now in peril.

Farming accounts for more than 10 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, so transformation is also critical to help tackle the climate emergency.

Tom Burditt, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Greater Manchester and North Merseyside, says:

“We’re spitting feathers. This is bad news for nature and bad news for small farmers around the North West, especially all those who love nature and have been working so hard to look after and restore it.

“Don’t be led by the positive spin being put out that this is good for soils. That is just a small step in the right direction, but from a sustainable and nature-friendly farm business point of view, this glass is only 10 per cent full. In other words, it is 90 per cent empty. It is a huge missed opportunity for ensuring that our taxpayer's money is being used to help deliver the 'public goods' we all so badly need like thriving wildlife, cleaner air, less flooding, and  the slowing of catastrophic climate change.”

Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“After leaving the EU, we were promised that the billions of pounds of taxpayer’s money given to farmers would be used to improve our natural world. But today’s publication shows a shocking lack of ambition which does very little to address the climate and nature crises. The Government seems intent on perpetuating the iniquities of the EU’s much derided Common Agricultural Policy. Worse still, nature-friendly farmers look set to lose out too.

“There’s so much that farmers could be rewarded for doing, such as restoring peatlands and employing ambitious measures to prevent soil and pollutants from washing into rivers – to help wildlife and store carbon. It’s an absolute scandal that the Government has failed to seize this unique and important opportunity to improve farming so it can help restore to nature and address the climate crisis."

Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of RSPB, says:

“Leaving the EU and its divisive Common Agricultural Policy gave us the perfect opportunity to reform the way we produce and consume food whilst also tackling the nature and climate crises. However, this Government is letting this opportunity slip through their fingers by not supporting nature-friendly farming and not delivering on previous promises. Not only does this go against public wishes but it also undermines the Government’s ability to deliver their own environmental targets as a result. Farmers want to be doing more, but they need incentives in place to help them.”

Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, says

“Nearly four years have passed since the Government set out its vision for the future of food, farming and the environment in a ‘Green Brexit’, centre-stage being the delivery of a better and richer environment in England. But the future of wildlife and climate now looks uncertain as today’s announcement falls short of the ambitious reforms promised. Farmers need a clear path to a future where nature is at the heart of sustainable and secure food production, not the short diversion this new scheme creates.

“We want farmers to be justly rewarded for playing their part with a carefully-designed scheme, but Government also needs to help farmers quickly embrace a new business model that delivers for farming and the environment. With wildlife and climate ‘on hold’ until the New Year, we hope our concerns will be met with a new resolution to turn things around and move at the speed that farmers, people and nature need.”

Brown hare grooming in a field of yellow flowers

Brown hare by Andrew Parkinson/2020VISION

The UK has stated its ambition to be a “world leader” on climate and nature, but it cannot tackle these twin crises without wholesale reform of farming policy. Today’s announcement falls far short of the Secretary of State’s statement at COP26 that the Government is “leading the way through our new agricultural system in England, which will incentivise farmers to farm more sustainably, create space for nature on their land and reduce carbon emissions.” Instead, the new scheme is at risk of recreating the status quo by funding basic good practice, and in some cases will not require any extra benefits for nature at all.

George Eustice was clear at COP26 that “there is an urgent need to reform the way we grow and consume food in order to tackle climate change.” But worryingly, nature-friendly farmers are at risk of being left behind by today’s announcement. All farmers are anxious about reforms and need clear messages from the Government. Additionally, the Government needs to outline objectives and a pathway for an ambitious scheme that will rise to the challenges of the 2030 biodiversity and 2050 climate goals.

Wildlife losses over recent decades have been largely caused by modern agricultural policy and farming methods which have contributed to the disappearance of 97 per cent of lowland meadows that support wildflowers, insects, mammals, and birds, and 80 per cent of heathlands which are home to bilberry, sand lizards and curlews. Rivers are in deep trouble too: in England, only 14 per cent of rivers meet standards for good ecological status - much of this is due to agricultural pollution, causing 13 per cent of freshwater and wetland species to be threatened with extinction. Butterflies and moths have been particularly hard hit, with numbers down by 17 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Mammals also fare badly with more than 26 per cent of species at risk of disappearing altogether. 

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