Soil is a 'Cinderella' issue, not receiving the attention it deserves, according to Soil Health, a new report from the Environmental Audit Committee, the cross-party group of MPs that monitors the government's performance on sustainability. The neglect could lead to reduced food security, increased greenhouse gas emissions, greater flood risk and damage to public health.
The Government relies on ‘cross-compliance’ rules linked to farm payments to regulate agricultural soil health. Landowners are required to keep their land in good agricultural and environmental condition, and can be fined if they breach rules requiring minimum soil cover, management of erosion, and maintenance of soil organic matter. However, these rules were found to be poorly enforced.
The report singles out for criticism the subsidised production of maize as a fuel crop. It recommends that the subsidies should be reviewed or discontinued, because intensive maize cultivation is associated with heavy soil erosion.
Around 300,000 hectares of soil are thought to be affected by legacy contamination from the UK’s industrial past. Local authorities have a duty to clean up this land, but funding from central government has been slashed. Soil is also a massive carbon sink, storing three times as much carbon as the atmosphere, but the UK’s arable soils have seen a worrying decline in carbon levels since 1978, with widespread and ongoing decline in peat soil carbon.
The report finds that on its current trajectory, the government will fail to meet its target to manage soils sustainably by 2030. It calls for policies that will focus on proactive soil restoration, rather than damage limitation.
Read about Sustain's policies on soil, farming and food 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.
