English farmers shrank their environmental footprint between 2010 and 2021, with decreases in several key areas, including greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer overuse and cattle populations, reports a new study by Yusheng Zhang and Adrian Collins of Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom, published April 29, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One.
Worldwide, the agriculture sector is under pressure to produce food more sustainably due to the multiple unintended environmental impacts associated with food production. To assess how English farming practices have evolved in recent years, researchers used a modeling approach to estimate the environmental impacts of farming practices across the country in 2010, 2016 and 2021. Using data from environmental measurements and farming activities, they modeled greenhouse gas emissions, the risk of creating algal blooms due to overfertilization, and the release of compounds that contribute to acid rain.
Overall, the modeling showed a shrinking environmental footprint for farming across England. Researchers found that the area under general cropping increased by 3.7%, but land used for dairy cows decreased by 2% during that time. There was a corresponding reduction in the cattle population, with numbers dropping 12% between 2010 and 2021. Populations of sheep and lambs increased by 4%. During this time period, modeling showed about an 18% drop in greenhouse gas emissions, a 13% reduction in overfertilization, and a 21% decrease in contributions to acid rain.
The researchers assert that regular assessments of farming's environmental impacts such as this one, could play a significant role for informing both policy and management on a national scale. As people face the challenges of climate change, growing energy needs and the depletion of natural resources, they argue it is increasingly important to explore sustainable farming methods as we work to feed a growing population.
Dr. Yusheng Zhang adds: "Farming is indispensable to feeding a growing population, but it must also become more sustainable. Routine strategic assessment of evolving environmental footprints will be critical to building a climate-resilient and economically viable agricultural industry."
Professor Adie Collins adds: "The findings clearly demonstrate, in the context of the recently released Land Use Framework for England, how structural change in land use and management can drive improvements in environmental performance whilst delivering food production. The Land Use Framework highlights opportunities for farmers to earn from multiple environmental services, strengthening business resilience. This study demonstrates the scale of environmental gains that can be achieved as the sector adapts."
In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: https://plos.io/4cx9nBs
Citation: Zhang Y, Collins AL (2026) Temporal evolution of the environmental footprints of intensive farming across England. PLoS One 21(4): e0346664. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0346664
Author countries: U.K.
Funding: UKRI-EPSRC (UK Research and Innovation-Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, https://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/ ) via grant award EP/Y025776/1 - Global Nitrogen Innovation Centre for Clean Energy and Environment (NICCEE) awarded to ALC. The funder play no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
