NFU raises food security concerns over revised Environmental Improvement Plan
Farmers need clarity, certainty and joined-up government policy as ministers push ahead with a revised Environmental Improvement Plan, the NFU has told MPs.
Giving evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee, NFU Chief Environment Adviser Dr Diane Mitchell warned that uncertainty around Environmental Land Management schemes and future farming budgets risked undermining confidence across the sector.
She told MPs that farmers were ready and willing to deliver for nature, but said long-term investment and participation depended on having the confidence to plan and commit over time.
Dr Mitchell stressed that environmental ambitions must be integrated with food production and food security, warning that the two could not be treated as competing priorities.
She highlighted the NFU’s principle of making land more multi-functional, delivering environmental outcomes alongside food production rather than taking land out of use altogether.
Farmers, she said, would be central to meeting the government’s legally binding targets for nature restoration and environmental improvement, but only if policy provided the right framework.
Turning to coordination, Dr Mitchell said the forthcoming Land Use Framework and Farming Roadmap — intended to set out how land will be managed and supported in the years ahead — could offer much-needed clarity.
However, she noted that the NFU’s annual survey showed farmer confidence was now at an all-time low, underlining the urgency of getting policy right.
She told the committee that rebuilding confidence would require stronger coordination across government, not just within Defra but also with departments responsible for health, and energy security and net zero.
Dr Mitchell also called for agriculture to be given greater consideration within the government’s National Adaptation Programme, warning that farmers are already on the frontline of climate change.
She said soil health and water management were essential to the long-term viability of farm businesses and should sit at the heart of future policy planning.
On Environmental Land Management schemes, Dr Mitchell welcomed Defra’s commitment to work with farmers on the renewed Sustainable Farming Incentive, but warned that it must be accessible and relevant to all farm businesses.
She emphasised the importance of smooth transitions and coordination between schemes, saying a lack of join-up would make it harder for farmers to plan rotations, investment and labour.
Dr Mitchell also pointed to opportunities in private finance markets, particularly biodiversity net gain and nutrient neutrality, but said demand would only be sustained if clear regulatory frameworks were established.
The committee also examined the impact of waste crime on farmers’ quality of life, with chair Toby Perkins MP raising concerns about its growing prominence.
Dr Mitchell said fly-tipping and rural crime remained major issues for farmers and welcomed commitments in the Environmental Improvement Plan to crack down on illegal waste sites, improve waste tracking and reform carriers and brokers legislation.
She called for a single reporting mechanism for waste crime on farmland, saying farmers often “get passed from pillar to post” between the police, local authorities and the Environment Agency.
Dr Mitchell also stressed the importance of effective intelligence-sharing between enforcement bodies to tackle rural waste crime more effectively.
She said the revised Environmental Improvement Plan must deliver clear, coordinated policy if farmers are to play their full role in meeting environmental targets while continuing to produce food.
