09 February 2022

Press Release

For immediate release

UK farming and nature must not be “an afterthought” in Govt plans to tackle the climate crisis

Landmark report highlights untapped extra potential of sustainable farming, which could deliver emissions cuts equivalent to taking an extra 900,000 cars off the road.
WWF urges UK governments to get behind farmers shifting towards nature-friendly approaches to tackling climate change, by setting out clear strategies to support a green transition across the sector.

UK governments must urgently deliver decarbonisation strategies for the farming and land use sectors if the UK is to hit crucial climate targets, a landmark new report from WWF has found.

The Land of Plenty report highlights the missed opportunity of the Westminster Net Zero Strategy to provide a strong vision and detail on tackling emissions from farming and land use, and identifies similar gaps in plans for Wales and Scotland as new legislation comes forward. This is despite the fact that the farming and land use sectors are responsible for 12% of the UK's territorial carbon emissions and are major contributors to the UK's global environmental footprint.

Land of Plenty finds that nature-friendly and regenerative approaches to farming could deliver far greater emissions reductions than previously estimated by the UK’s Climate Change Committee, equivalent to taking an extra 900,000 cars off the road(1), and help to curb the global environmental footprint of UK food production.

With the right incentives from governments, these approaches also have the potential to help to protect and restore critical habitats from flower-rich meadows to fragile peatlands and support the recovery of threatened species like the grey partridge, tree sparrow and turtle dove, which have declined by at least 90% in the last 50 years.

The report shows that shifting our farming system to one where emissions are reduced, while hedges, habitats and soil sequester carbon – offers a real opportunity for farmers, increasing both economic resilience by reducing the UK’s demand for artificial fertilisers and imported livestock feed, and resilience towards future climate shocks, by improving the health of soils and enhancing agricultural ecosystems.

WWF is now calling on ministers to bring forward detailed strategies ahead of COP27 in November, that set an ambitious, evidence-based path to slash greenhouse gas emissions from farming by more than 35% by 2030(2) and make UK land a net carbon sink no later than 2040, all while restoring nature.

Tanya Steele, Chief Executive at WWF, said:

“If we are serious about tackling the twin threats of climate change and nature loss, farming and land use can’t be an afterthought. Many UK farmers are already using their skills and expertise to produce food as sustainably as possible, but they won’t be able to fix a broken system on their own.

“Bringing forward comprehensive strategies to slash emissions from farming and land use will be a vital catalyst to drive change – UK governments must act urgently to deliver these frameworks and give farmers the clarity they need.

“Ahead of COP27, the UK has the chance to lead the way, and solve another piece of the climate puzzle, by driving the transition to greener farming, both at home and overseas. In this critical decade for the planet, it’s a chance we must take.”

ENDS

IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE.

B-ROLL AVAILABLE HERE.

For more information, additional content or to arrange an interview with a WWF spokesperson or relevant sector contact, please contact:

Lucinda Kay | Media Manager (News) at WWF

T: +44 (0) 1483 412 487 | M: +44 (0) 7932 345 284| E: lkay@wwf.org.uk

Out of hours contact

T: +44 (0) 7500 577620 | E: press@wwf.org.uk

Notes to editors:

The full report is available at https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/land-of-plenty.
Country focus reports are available for England, Scotland and Wales.
(1) The difference in mitigation potential from regenerative farm practices between Land of Plenty’s emission targets and the Climate Change Committee’s Widespread Engagement Scenario pathway in the Sixth Carbon Budget equates to 1.94MtCO2e/yr, equivalent to 900,000 additional UK cars removed from the road. For further information, see the supporting report by Aberdeen University.
(2) 35% reduction from 2018 levels (a reduction in annual direct domestic agricultural emissions of 19.3MtCO2e). This excludes further potential from measures such as agroforestry that would be included in the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) category
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted places on Earth. Over 70% of UK land is used for agriculture, and this has driven the disappearance of critical habitats from flower-rich meadows to fragile peatlands, along with the dramatic loss of pollinators, birdlife and mammals.
Ecosystems rich in both carbon and nature, from flower rich meadows to fragile peatlands, have disappeared or been damaged, leading to loss of pollinators, birdlife and mammals. Farmland birds have declined by 55% in the last fifty years, with Grey Partridge, Tree Sparrow and Turtle Dove each declining by at least 90%.
The report sets out how nature positive regenerative agriculture and other solutions can be harnessed to deliver climate benefits, setting out a bold ambition to:
- Reduce UK direct agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 35% by 2030 and 51% by 2050 on 2018 levels;
- Transform UK land from a net source of GHG emissions to a net sink by 2040 at the latest;
- Halt and reverse the loss of UK nature by 2030;
- Cut the UK farming’s overseas carbon footprint from soy feed and fertiliser inputs by at least 31% by 2030 and 57% by 2050, on 2018 levels.
WWF is calling for a rapid scaling up of investment in nature-based solutions (like the expansion of native woodlands and peatland restoration), given estimates of a £56 billion funding gap to meet the UK’s legally binding targets to recover nature over the next eight years , to help support farmers and growers in making the transition to regenerative approaches.
WWF’s Global Footprint report (July 2021) set out the science behind its target to slash the UK’s global environmental footprint – the impact of everything we produce and consume – by at least 75% by 2030.

About WWF

WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) is one of the world’s largest independent conservation organisations, active in nearly 100 countries. Our supporters – more than five million of them – are helping us to restore nature and to tackle the main causes of nature’s decline, particularly the food system and climate change. We’re fighting to ensure a world with thriving habitats and species, and to change hearts and minds so it becomes unacceptable to overuse our planet’s resources.

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For wildlife, for people, for nature.

Find out more about our work, past and present at wwf.org.uk