Sustain response to the Chris Skidmore Net Zero review

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:

1. Maintains its farming and environmental budget and supports a transition to agroecological farming
2. Accelerate the implementation of ELM and set out more clearly how they will ratchet up ambition over the agricultural transition period (2021-27).
3. Introduce a land use framework
4. Introduce mandatory government buying standards for public sector food that supports higher standard British farming and climate-friendly diets
5. Introduce a ban on new industrial meat facilities
6. Introduce core standards in trade
7. 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