Government’s Farming Roadmap sets out 25-year vision to grow England’s farming future

On Wednesday 24 June, Defra published Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England's Future. The roadmap is a significant milestone, setting the direction for how farmers will be supported to produce food in a rapidly changing climate, while also protecting the environment and building resilient businesses.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Emma Reynolds said:

"Farmers feed our nation and manage the land that shapes our countryside, yet their contribution has never been valued in the way it deserves. Our roadmap marks a shift away from only looking to the next harvest and towards a plan that gives farmers the long-term clarity they need to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come."

Sustain’s view on the farming roadmap: a welcome long-term vision, but questions remain

Sustain welcomes the clear long-term direction set out by Government, particularly the emphasis on providing greater certainty, improving resilience and supporting farm businesses. After years of short-term policy changes and uncertainty, this longer-term vision for farming in England is both necessary and welcome.

Sustain particularly welcomes:

• Recognition that nature-friendly, lower-input farming underpins long-term food security, resilience and productivity, including the importance of soil health, water quality, and biodiversity.
   
• Continued short–medium term investment in Environmental Land Management schemes, providing much-needed stability and support for environmental delivery.
   
• Action on supply chain fairness, including Fair Dealings regulations, stronger enforcement and improved transparency to ensure farmers receive a fairer share of value.
   
• Recognition of the need to reduce input dependency and support lower-input, agroecological approaches, including a commitment to develop an Organic Action Plan for England.
   
• Increased focus on horticulture and fair routes to market (including public procurement), alongside stronger support for tenant farmers and collaborative approaches, helping improve access to land, markets and fair returns. 
   

However, the roadmap also includes gaps and leaves important questions about how this vision will be delivered in practice, such as: 
 

• Expanding the poultry sector, which risks not meeting Environment Improvement Plan targets on pollution and biodiversity which are emphasised in the plan.
   
• Limited focus on smaller scale producers and market gardens, including mentioning the Sustainable Farming Incentive has been made fairer and focused on small farms, despite introducing a 3 hectare limit in this year’s offer which excludes many small-scale growers.
   
• Minimal rhetoric on dietary change and livestock numbers, despite Climate Change Committee, who advise ‘on farm’ that the UK must reduce livestock numbers significantly. Supporting a shift towards healthier, more sustainable diets, with more locally grown vegetables, fruit, beans and pulses would also help build demand for the horticulture sector which the roadmap says it wants to grow.
   
• Proposals to weaken planning rules, which risk making it easier to build and expand large intensive farms (‘megafarms’) by treating all agricultural applications favourably, rather than supporting farms agroecological farms which contribute towards environmental and biodiversity targets.
   

Alys Bannister, Sustainable Farming Campaign Manager at Sustain, said:

“This roadmap sets out a clear vision, but farmers now need clarity on how that vision will be delivered in practice. Without it, confidence risks falling short.

As this roadmap correctly demonstrates, farming needs to change now - not just for the environment, but for the resilience of our food system and the future of rural economies. 

That means setting out a clear plan to de-risk the shift to agroecological farming, including fairer supply chains, clear signals on future funding and regulation, and long-term investment in nature-friendly farming.

With the right follow-through, this roadmap could still provide a foundation for the transition farmers need.”

The real test of this roadmap will be whether it works for farmers on the ground, and these areas will need to be implemented at pace to deliver meaningful improvements in farm incomes.
 

Political uncertainty means the need for clarity is stronger than ever

The Farming Roadmap is being published at a time of wider political change. While the roadmap sets out a long-term vision, its impact will depend on sustained commitment and clarity from across government in the months ahead. 

For farmers and growers facing ongoing economic and environmental pressures, confidence in that long-term direction will be essential.
 

Glen Tarman, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Sustain, said:

“This Farming Roadmap lands at a moment of real political flux. But farmers and growers cannot afford for the transition to agroecological, resilient farming to be a casualty of that uncertainty. 

With changes in the political landscape in the months ahead, the case for fair returns, long-term certainty and a food system that works for people, planet and farm businesses does not change.

Sustain will be looking for clear, cross-government commitment to this agenda from the Government.”
 

What has Sustain called for in the Farming Roadmap?

Sustain was among a small number of civil society organisations invited by Defra to help shape the Farming Roadmap from an early stage. Through a series of workshops, submissions, stakeholder meetings, and direct engagement with officials, Sustain made the case that current high-input farming systems are failing to deliver fair incomes, environmental outcomes or food security.

Several of these priorities are reflected in the roadmap, including a stronger focus on supply chain fairness, commitments to maintain Environmental Land Management schemes in the medium term, recognition of agroecological approaches, and the development of sector growth plans (including horticulture), alongside a dedicated Organic Action Plan for England.
 

Next steps

Sustain will continue to work with alliance members and partners to ensure that future farming policy supports a just transition to an agroecological, resilient, and profitable farming sector. This includes shaping Defra's Horticulture Sector Growth Plan, advocating for fairer supply chains for farmers, and influencing Environmental Land Management schemes.

Sustain will be pressing government to ensure today's announcement translates into the fair, resilient and sustainable farming system that farmers, growers and the public deserve. We will not let that ambition slip, in this Parliament and beyond.