UK agriculture creates 10% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and our food system currently uses up our entire carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. The UK can not meet its climate goals without taking action in the food system but currently there is no plan, mechanism or targets to bring UK food emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.
Sustainable farming can help the UK meet its climate, nature and Net Zero targets, while also providing food security. It can increase the return of carbon to the soil, raise productivity, reduce the use of carbon intensive inputs while maintaining productivity, as well as creating significantly more jobs1 than conventional farming. Agroecological produce, such as organic, is increasingly in demand, both at home and abroad. Recovering the least productive grazing land for nature recovery and wildlife preservation would also create thousands of jobs.
We recommend that the Government:
- Maintains its farming and environmental budget and supports a transition to agroecological farming
- Accelerate the implementation of ELM and set out more clearly how they will ratchet up ambition over the agricultural transition period (2021-27).
- Introduce a land use framework
- Introduce mandatory government buying standards for public sector food that supports higher standard British farming and climate-friendly diets
- Introduce a ban on new industrial meat facilities
- Introduce core standards in trade
- Remove all mandates and subsidies for biofuel production 8. Support the development of local food partnerships in every area in the UK, to help create a more localised food system
Published Wednesday 31 May 2023
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.
