Warning comes in the wake of ongoing dry weather affecting food production
Environmental and farming groups have come together to highlight the importance of continued investment to build resilience, protect the environment and support homegrown food production.
As the Chancellor prepares for the June Spending Review, the groups – the NFU, National Trust, RSPB, Woodland Trust, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Green Alliance, and Wildlife and Countryside Link – made their statement in the wake of ongoing dry weather affecting growers and farmers.
While the picture varies across sectors and locations, some farms have seen as little as 20ml of rain over March and April, which is putting crops under strain and limiting grass growth. As the dry weather continues, British food production and the natural environment are once again under pressure, the groups said.
They noted that as UK governments have examined how to minimise the impacts of more regular weather extremes on food, farming and the environment, policy has continually focused on the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes as a key way to both build drought resilience and mitigate flood risks.
However, with future funding for ELM schemes uncertain, the farming and environmental groups have jointly called on the Chancellor to protect the farming budget in the upcoming Spending Review and ensure continued investment in environmental protections and a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.
This would enable investment in the health of the country’s soils, they argued, such as through appropriate soil cultivation combined with the use of cover crops, buffering at field margins and tree planting, which would help combat dry weather by locking moisture into soils and retaining water over longer periods.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The ongoing dry weather underlines the importance of government investment in a resilient, sustainable farming sector. Water is absolutely vital to producing the food our country needs, and as we face increasing global uncertainty, our nation’s food security has never been more important.
“In its recent report, the Climate Change Committee could not have been clearer about the risks to British food and farming and our environment from weather extremes. The impacts of climate change are already being felt by farmers and growers, many of whom were under water only a few months ago and now find their soil dried out.
“That’s why it’s so important we build resilience into the sector. A key tool to doing that is the farming budget. This budget delivers so many government priorities – both in terms of food security and the environment, as well as offering value for money – which is why we are calling on the Chancellor to protect it.”
