Extreme weather, soaring inflation and chronic supply chains are putting the UK's farming sector at serious risk, says open letter coordinated by Sustain and Wildlife and Countryside Link.
Over 40 leading food, farming and conservation organisations have signed an open letter urging Environment Secretary Steve Reed to address the deep-seated challenges undermining England’s agriculture sector.
The letter, coordinated by Sustain and Wildlife and Countryside Link, comes ahead of thousands of farmers converging on Parliament to protest the financial pressures facing British farming. This week also sees the release of DEFRA’s three yearly food security report, which is expected to highlight the increasing threat that climate change is having on farmer’s livelihoods.
The signatories warn that years of underfunded Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, combined with recent pauses in essential capital grants, have left farmers struggling to invest in nature-friendly practices. They call for immediate action to reform unfair supply chains—through strengthening the Groceries Code Adjudicator and ensuring fair pricing—as well as boosting the annual farm budget to £3.1 billion in England to support more sustainable farming methods.
The letter calls on the Government to take swift and decisive action to address these underlying challenges, ensuring a just and effective transition to nature-friendly farming—one that safeguards livelihoods, supports wildlife recovery, and builds a more resilient food system for the future.
Will White, Sustainable Farming coordinator at Sustain said:
"This letter, backed by over 40 influential organisations spanning food, farming, and conservation, highlights the breadth and depth of consensus across the sector on the need for greater support for UK farming. Together, we are sending a unified message that we need decisive action from government—ensuring fair supply chains, stable funding, and the right policies to support nature friendly farming."
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:
"There have been decades of under-investment in wildlife-friendly farming. The transition to sustainable agriculture that ought to offer a prosperous future for farmers and nature is way off track, with farmers and wildlife paying the price. With so much at stake for farmers and the environment, the Government has a chance to fix things."
"The Prime Minister should pledge the public money needed to grow a green and thriving farming economy that can help reverse nature's decline and provide security and stability for farming communities. Supply chains should be reforged so that responsible farmers are paid properly. And the system of farm payments should be quickly fixed, so that those farmers who lead the way to our shared vision of a nature-friendly future are rewarded well for their work."
Vicki Hird, Strategic Lead for Agriculture at The Wildlife Trusts, said:
"Farmers are essential to both nature's recovery and climate adaptation but the UK Government must improve its approach so farmers can contribute meaningful impact. That requires well-designed and adequate finance, clearer advice, and regulations to balance an unfair supply chain. Without these changes, we will likely see further declines in wildlife, loss of soils, more water pollution and unmanaged flooding. A coherent farming and food roadmap aligned with a strong environmental ambition and budget, cannot come soon enough."
Read the full letter here.
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
