Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Acknowledged
Land use framework implementation requires scrutiny for food security alongside nature recovery
Conclusion
The Government’s projections for changes in land use in England by 2050, contained in its current consultation on a Land Use Framework, indicate a potentially substantial increase in the land area allocated to nature recovery, either alongside or instead of agricultural production. 56 Implementation of any land use framework, and the policy instruments put in place to support changes of use, will require careful scrutiny to ensure continued support for food security in England alongside initiatives for nature recovery. (Conclusion, Paragraph 65)
Government Response Summary
The government outlines its plan to work with farmers to co-create a long-term Farming Roadmap and develop a Land Use Framework to safeguard agricultural land and ensure food security.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We want to work with the sector to develop a long-term sustainable plan for incentivising and funding for nature recovery. To achieve the right incentives and conditions, we will work in partnership with farmers to co-create our long-term Farming Roadmap. This will include our proposed approach to spatial prioritisation of outcomes and the spatial targeting of financial incentives for land use change, which will take responses to the Land Use Consultation into account. The Land Use Framework will provide a long-term view of land use change and will help to safeguard the best agricultural land for food production. The area of land used for agriculture is, however, just one of many factors that determine the scale and type of food produced in England. This is why the Framework will work as part of a wider reform of the whole food system, with a food strategy encompassing economic growth, food security, public health and the environment.