The NFU has welcomed the UK government’s revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), but warned food production must be given the same priority as environmental goals.
The plan, covering England’s natural environment up to 2043 (PDF), sets out an ambitious roadmap to restore nature, improve air and water quality, and meet legally binding environmental targets.
It aims to bring 40% of agricultural soils into sustainable management by 2028, rising to 60% by 2030, while tackling nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide pollution and reducing methane emissions from livestock.
See also: Reynolds admits mistakes were made over sudden SFI closure
More than half of England’s farmland is already enrolled in agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship or the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with an improved SFI offer opening next year.
Landscape recovery
The EIP also allocates £500m for landscape recovery (LR) projects over the next two decades, which Defra says will allow farmers to generate income while boosting biodiversity and climate resilience.
Farming groups, however, stress that the plan’s long-term impact will hinge on secure funding, practical guidance, and policies that recognise farmers’ essential role in delivering both environmental and food security outcomes.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said farmers are ready to deliver for the environment, but need clarity from Defra on domestic food production.
He warned that LR projects, which combine government funding with private investment, may not provide farmers with sufficient confidence due to challenges in attracting private finance.
He called for certainty over the SFI and a multifunctional land use framework giving food production equal priority to environmental goals, as well as clear targets for British food production.
Focus on soils
The Soil Association praised the plan’s focus on soil health, nutrient management, and reduced chemical use, but warned that farmers still lack the confidence and support needed to scale up nature-friendly farming effectively.
Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, welcomed the plan’s recognition of LR, peer-to-peer learning, and investment opportunities, but expressed disappointment that targets for farms to implement sustainable soil management and dedicate at least 7% of land to nature were not ambitious enough.
The Wildlife Trusts said that for the EIP to help the government meet its legal Environment Act targets and Global Biodiversity Framework commitments – such as protecting and managing 30% of land and sea by 2030 – it must recognise the importance of nature to the economy, health and wellbeing, strengthen its detail, and be implemented immediately.
Five key policy actions included in EIP
- £500m for landscape recovery to support long-term, landscape-scale projects led by farmers and land managers, restoring nature while continuing sustainable food production.
- Government will publish a per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals (so-called “forever chemicals”) action plan in 2026.
- Government will work with farmers to cut methane emissions from livestock by adopting new technologies.
- Action on agricultural pollution, including targets to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment runoff from farms into water bodies, and a forthcoming review of sewage sludge spreading rules affecting farm practice.
- Funding for habitat restoration that benefits farm resilience, including £85m for peatland restoration and expanded targets for creating wildlife-rich habitats that support farm wildlife and climate-resilient land management.