The 25-year Farming Roadmap gives English farmers certainty beyond the next harvest for the first time.
For the first time in this country's history, the government is today committing to the future of farming beyond the next harvest, ending years of uncertainty with a landmark roadmap that marks the most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War.
Farmers produce around 65% of the nation's food, manage 70% of England's land, and underpin the £153 billion agri-food sector recognised as Critical National Infrastructure. With the growing impacts of extreme weather and climate, Farming Roadmap 2050: Growing England's Future sets out how farmers can adapt through nature-based solutions such as improved soil health and water management.
Developed in partnership with farmers, the roadmap sets out how the government will provide long-term stability. Backed by immediate action from the government's response to Baroness Minette Batters' independent Farming Profitability Review, farmers will have better access to the tools, technology, skills and supply chains they need to invest, innovate and grow.
Collaborative models such as co-operatives will play a much larger role, enabling collective purchasing and joint investment that lower costs, spread risk and support stronger returns.
An additional £53 million for the Farming Innovation Programme brings total innovation funding this year to £123 million, including dedicated funding rounds focused on robotics and soil health and water management.
The government will also review how the economic value of agriculture is measured, ensuring farming receives the recognition it deserves. A single figure of 0.6% of Gross Value Added is misleading because it captures only primary agricultural activities. Working with the Office for National Statistics, the government will look to develop new supplementary statistics to include the wider food supply chain, from processing and manufacturing to distribution and retail.
Seasonal Worker visas will continue until at least 2030, providing reassurance to the UK horticulture sector.
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said:
Farmers feed our nation and manage the land that shapes our countryside, yet their contribution has never been valued in the way it deserves. Our roadmap marks a shift away from only looking to the next harvest and towards a plan that gives farmers the long-term clarity they need to innovate, invest and grow with confidence for generations to come.
I have spent every day in this role rebuilding our relationship with farmers brick by brick because they're such an important part of our economy, our society and our environment. We are looking at how farming is valued economically and socially to ensure it receives the recognition it deserves.
To boost profits and productivity, the government will work in partnership with industry to create Sector Growth Plans starting with horticulture and poultry and bring farmers, retailers and investors together on the Farming and Food Partnership Board. It will also cut EU trade friction through a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement and give egg and fresh produce growers legal protection against unfair supply chain practices.
To build resilience, the roadmap sets out how farmers can reduce reliance on costly inputs like fertiliser through new technology and smarter nutrient management and adapt to the growing impacts of extreme weather and climate change through nature-based solutions such as improved soil health and water management. Multiple government services will, over time, be replaced with a single digital farming account to reduce administrative burdens, alongside improved data quality and standards to enable access to private markets.
On sustainability, Environmental Land Management schemes will become more focused and better targeted, with mitigation and conversion payments phased out over time as good practice becomes standard practice with regulatory standards increasing in some areas, while long-term payments for public goods such as habitat creation will continue.
While the roadmap sets the long-term direction, the government response to the Farming Profitability Review reflects immediate action to improve farm profitability now. Measures being taken forward include:
Extending supply chain fair dealing regulations to egg producers and fresh produce
Launching a dedicated task-and-finish group to unlock private sector investment in sustainable farming
Establishing a new UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary area to cut export friction
Opening the new SFI26 application window to all eligible farmers this month
Opening the new £30 million Farmer Collaboration Fund this summer to support groups of farmers to grow their businesses, build partnerships and share best practice
Transferring the Groceries Code Adjudicator from the Department of Business and Trade to Defra to support a more joined-up approach to food supply chain fairness
Considering changes to the National Planning Policy Framework following recent consultation, including proposals to make the system more supportive of the infrastructure farmers need.
