Recommendation 14

We welcome the targets that the Government has set to establish a soil health indicator; provide a methodology and tools for measuring soil health; publish a baseline map of soil health by 2028; and bring 60% of soils in England into sustainable management by 2030. We recognise that measuring soil health is highly complex, and recommend that the Government explore a suite of indicators taking into account different biological, physical, and chemical factors among others. The Government must provide clear guidance for farmers with a realistic set of science- based benchmarks that they can use to measure the health of their soils accurately and affordably.