Greener Pastures - Securing the economic and - environmental future of Britain’s farms

The Roslin Institute’s research helped to double the feed efficiency of poultry between the 1990s and 2010s.22 And the John Innes Centre’s wheat research is expected to be worth £500 million to the UK over the next 25 years.23 The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funds many of these research institutes and innovation centres. [...] And more than a fifth of the items in the average grocery shop are at risk.68 Research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit calculates the impact of climate change at home and abroad has led to the average UK household’s food bill being £361 higher during 2022 and 2023.69 The 2022 Government Food Strategy report noted that trade strengthens food security.70 But it also acknowledged that enh. [...] They have also paid tens of millions to some of the UK and EU’s wealthiest landowners.158 Following the vote to leave the EU, the Government decided to move away from direct payments for farmed land to payments for carrying out actions that enhance the environment. [...] The Dutch government’s plans to buyout and shut down livestock farms to reduce nitrogen emissions has led to large protests and the rise of the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement party.181 The party won 15 out of 75 seats in the provincial elections to the senate in May 2023, which was influential in the fall of the coalition government.182 ELMs balances support for farmers with a transition to sust. [...] And several of the actions that DEFRA is funding most heavily are capital works relating to the periphery of farmland rather than the farming itself, such as sheep netting, concrete yard renewal, and roofing for manure and slurry storage.213 The Government aims for 70% of farms covering 70% of farmed land to join ELMs by 2028.214 But it also has a target for 65-80% of landowners and farmers to ado.