Select committee: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Conclusion 10
First Report - Soil health
Published 5 Dec 2023
Paragraph 49
Addressed to Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Soil Health All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Government’s Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes are an important economic incentive to protect and restore natural assets, such as soils. Until private ecosystem marketplaces are fully regulated and established for a variety of soil health benefits, ELM schemes will be the main tool for encouraging the restoration of soil health. Most stakeholders believe that paying for sustainable practices is the right approach, although effective regulation and evaluation will be essential to ensure that they deliver the right outcomes. Attractive payment rates will also be crucial, rates many believe to be too low at present. Higher rates that reflect environmental benefits and additional costs could boost take-up, lead to further savings in the longer term, keep ELMs true to the ‘public money for public goods’ philosophy, and keep the Government on track to meet its targets. ELMs also do not, in general, address the capital investment barriers to more sustainable farming, although we recognise that some grant funding has been made available. The Government needs to keep a careful eye on this problem and come up with solutions if needed.
From: Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, First Report - Soil health (HC 245), paragraph 49, 5 December 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 21 March 2024 (deadline 5 February 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it welcomes the Committee's recommendations and is "carefully considering them alongside our existing initiatives", while setting out its own timings and positions on individual recommendations.
- On soil data, national soil monitoring is under way within the tNCEA programme, with the soil health baseline due "by 2028, subject to further capital funding". Defra will publish a progress report on the soil health indicator by June 2024.
- On statutory soil targets, the government sees target-setting as "an iterative process" and will "keep our targets framework under review". The next Environmental Improvement Plan review is due in 2028.
- On annual reporting for ELM schemes, it is reviewing how best to meet its Agriculture Act 2020 reporting commitment and says it is "unlikely" that it can report annually on soil health impacts.
- On soil remediation and reuse, it intends to pilot a Soil Reuse and Depot scheme by December 2026 and expects revised construction guidance by summer 2024. It will assess voluntary approaches "before considering any regulatory models, or the need for a specific taskforce".