The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England’s Future sets out how farmers can adapt through nature-based solutions such as improved soil health and water management.
Developed in partnership with farmers, Defra says the roadmap outlines how the government will provide long-term stability, helping the industry gain better access to the tools, technology, skills and supply chains it needs to invest, innovate and grow.
Farmers currently produce around 65% of the nation’s food, manage 70% of England’s land, and underpin the £153 billion agri-food sector, which is recognised as critical national infrastructure.
Collaboration and investment focus
As part of the plan, collaborative models such as co-operatives are set to play a much larger role, enabling collective purchasing and joint investment to lower costs, spread risk and support stronger returns.
Defra added that an additional £53 million for the Farming Innovation Programme brings total innovation funding this year to £123 million, including dedicated funding rounds focused on robotics, soil health and water management.
The government has also pledged to review how the economic value of agriculture is measured, ensuring farming receives the recognition it deserves.
The roadmap will also see Seasonal Worker visas continue until at least 2030, providing reassurance to the UK horticulture sector.
Productivity and regulatory changes
To boost profits and productivity, the government will create sector growth plans, starting with horticulture and poultry, and bring farmers, retailers and investors together on the Farming and Food Partnership Board.
The roadmap also sets out how farmers can build resilience by reducing their reliance on costly inputs such as fertilisers through new technology and smarter nutrient management.
It also highlights adaptation to the growing impacts of extreme weather and climate change through nature-based solutions, including improved soil health and water management.
Multiple government services will, over time, be replaced with a single digital farming account to reduce administrative burdens, alongside improved data quality and standards to enable access to private markets.
On sustainability, Defra said Environmental Land Management schemes will become more focused and better targeted, with mitigation and conversion payments phased out over time as good practice becomes standard practice.
Regulatory standards are also expected to increase in some areas, while long-term payments for public goods such as habitat creation will continue.
Immediate measures
The government has also laid out a series of immediate measures in response to the Farming Profitability Review, including:
- Extending supply chain fair dealing regulations to egg producers and fresh produce
- Launching a dedicated task-and-finish group to unlock private sector investment in sustainable farming
- Establishing a new UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary area to cut export friction
- Opening the new SFI26 application window to all eligible farmers this month
- Opening the new £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund this summer to support groups of farmers to grow their businesses, build partnerships and share best practice
- Transferring the Groceries Code Adjudicator from the Department for Business and Trade to Defra to support a more joined-up approach to food supply chain fairness
- Considering changes to the National Planning Policy Framework following recent consultation, including proposals to make the system more supportive of the infrastructure farmers need
On the roadmap, environment secretary Emm 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.
“I have spent every day in this role rebuilding our relationship with farmers brick by brick because they’re such an important part of our economy, our society and our environment. We are looking at how farming is valued economically and socially to ensure it receives the recognition it deserves.”
