23 May

A group of environmental and farming groups, including the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), and the National Trust, have joined forces to call upon the government to continue investment in farm resilience and nature-friendly farming in the face of increasingly dry weather.

This week, farmers across the country have been showcasing how nature-friendly farming is critical to building resilience in the face of climate extremes, protecting water supplies, supporting biodiversity, and securing the future of food production as part of Nature Friendly Farming Week, organised by the NFFN.

The Environment Agency has revealed that 77 ‘serious’ pollution incidents in English rivers were logged last year following an increase in farm inspections. Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency, suggested that the inheritance tax changes may be in part to blame for the unprecedented number of damaging pollution incidents, with ‘distracted’ farmers losing focus on protecting habitats and wildlife.

The Treasury has come under fire for rejecting a Freedom of Information request to publish the financial evidence which supports a minister's claim that the clawback alternative to the inheritance tax changes – which was proposed by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the NFU in February – would raise ‘much less’ revenue than the current reforms.

The European Investment Bank and the European Commission have published a report which reveals that the European agriculture sector loses an average of €28 billion annually due to adverse weather, with losses projected to exceed €40 billion per year by 2050 under business-as-usual emissions scenarios.

The University of Reading have published a report which identifies the top 12 emerging threats that could accelerate pollinator losses within in the next 15 years. Pollutants and toxins applied to plants and the soil – including microplastic particles, pesticide cocktails, and pollution from agricultural antibiotics – comprise a quarter of the list, demonstrating the need to protect our soils to save pollinators.

The British Geographical Society have published a review which summarises the impact of drought on temperate soils and agriculture production and ecosystem function in the UK, and highlights knowledge gaps regarding the wider effects of drought on soil properties and functions in temperate soils.