The watchdog’s report warns ministers are still far off track.
The Office for the Environment (OEP) has published its latest assessment of progress against the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), which covers the year to the end of March 2025.
The report concludes that current efforts are insufficient to meet legally binding commitments on biodiversity and land and sea protection, with direct implications for how agricultural land is managed, financed and regulated.
OEP Chair Dame Glenys Stacey said the findings come as government policy increasingly focuses on economic growth.
“Our report comes at a time when the government is focused on economic growth,” she said. “Nature has a role to play here, an important role. Nature does not hinder growth, but enables, promotes and protects economic growth.”
She warned of long-term risks if environmental degradation is not reversed. “Nature’s restoration is a prerequisite for prosperity, health and well-being,” Dame Glennis said.
“These will have cascading and compounding effects, amplifying threats to national and international security, economies and communities,” she added.
OEP acknowledged some improvement compared to the previous year, but said progress was still not at the required level.
Dame Glenys said: “We have long called on the Government to accelerate and scale up its efforts to deliver on its environmental ambitions and commitments, and now we reiterate that call.”
“Although we have made more progress this year than in the previous reporting period, it was not the step change that was needed.”
He said the government was “well off track to meeting its environmental goals and obligations”, including legally binding biodiversity targets and the UK’s commitment to protect and restore 30% of land and sea by 2030.
“The government must now decide whether it will meet these targets. What happens now is important,” she said.
The report assesses progress against 43 separate goals and initiatives, many of which are directly related to land management, water quality, and habitat provision on agricultural land.
Twelve targets recorded good progress, 19 recorded mixed progress, and 12 recorded limited progress.
Of the 13 targets set under environmental law, four showed good progress, seven showed mixed progress and two showed limited progress during the reporting period.
There has been positive movement in areas such as creating rich habitat for wildlife and reducing phosphorus pollution from treated wastewater.
However, limited progress has been recorded in improving the condition of marine protected areas and reducing residual waste.
For farmers, watchdogs have warned of increasing pressures related to land and water management.
The report said the number of properties at risk of surface water flooding is increasing as the condition of flood and coastal risk management assets declines, raising concerns for farms operating in vulnerable catchments.
Wildfire incidents are also found to be on the rise, increasing the challenges faced by land managers.
OEP also published an initial assessment of the government’s revised environmental improvement plan published in December 2025.
“Our initial view is that much of the formal advice we provided for the review of the EIP has been adopted,” Dame Glennis said.
He said the revised plan was “more consistent”, “more transparent and focused on delivery”.
However, he warned that weaknesses remained, particularly around financing and on-farm delivery.
“Resources, particularly for higher-level agri-environmental programs such as landscape restoration, seem to remain in short supply,” she says.
The watchdog said some commitments remained broad-based and gaps in risk monitoring undermined delivery at farm level.
In its recommendations, OEP reiterated its call on governments to get nature-friendly agriculture right and to set up clearer mechanisms to manage the competing demands of land and sea.
Farming organizations have repeatedly called for clearer long-term financing, simpler institutional rules and more certainty to help businesses plan ahead.
OEP said upcoming reforms, including land-use frameworks, agricultural roadmaps and food strategies, are an opportunity to provide clarity if they are effectively aligned with environmental objectives.
“As we have said for some time, the most important thing now is to implement the plan effectively,” Dame Glennis said.
With major agricultural programmes, land use policies and environmental funding remaining in flux, the watchdog said the coming years will be critical both in achieving the 2030 targets and in giving farmers the certainty they need to plan, invest and manage their land with confidence.
