The NFU has told MPs that farmers need clarity, certainty and aligned government policy as ministers move forward with a revised environmental improvement plan.
Giving evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee, NFU Chief Environmental Adviser Dr Diane Mitchell warned that uncertainty around environmental land management plans and future agricultural budgets risked undermining confidence across the sector.
He told MPs that farmers were ready and willing to make a contribution for nature, but said long-term investment and participation depended on whether they had 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 cannot be treated as competing priorities.
She emphasized the NFU principle of making land more multifunctional and delivering environmental outcomes alongside food production, rather than eliminating land use altogether.
He said farmers will be central to achieving the government’s legally binding targets on nature restoration and environmental improvement, but only if policies provide the right framework.
Turning to coordination, Dr Mitchell said the upcoming Land Use Framework and Agriculture Roadmap, which aims to set out how land will be managed and supported in the coming years, could bring much-needed clarity.
However, she noted that the NFU’s annual survey shows that farmer confidence is currently at an all-time low, underscoring the urgency of getting policy right.
He told the committee that restoring trust required stronger collaboration across government, not just within Defra but with departments responsible for health, energy security and net zero.
Dr Mitchell also called for greater consideration of agriculture in the government’s national adaptation programme, warning that farmers are already on the front line of climate change.
He said soil health and water management are essential to the long-term survival of agricultural businesses and should be at the center of future policy planning.
On the Environmental Land Management Plan, Dr Mitchell welcomed Defra’s commitment to working with farmers on updated sustainable farming incentives, but warned that this must be accessible and relevant to all farmers.
He emphasized the importance of smooth transitions and coordination between systems, saying that without coordination it will be difficult for farmers to plan rotations, investments and labor.
Dr Mitchell also pointed to opportunities in private financial markets, particularly biodiversity net benefits and nutrient neutrality, but said demand would only be sustained if a clear regulatory framework was established.
The committee also investigated the impact of waste crime on farmers’ quality of life, and its chair, Toby Perkins MP, expressed concern about the increasing salience of waste crime.
Dr Mitchell said fly dispersal and rural crime remained a major problem for farmers, and welcomed efforts to improve the environment, including cracking down on illegal waste, improving waste tracking and changing laws for transporters and brokers.
She said farmers were often “passed from post to post” between police, local authorities and the Environment Agency, and called for a single reporting mechanism for waste crime on agricultural land.
Dr Mitchell also emphasized the importance of effective information sharing between enforcement agencies to effectively deal with local waste crime.
He said the revised Environmental Improvement Plan needs to provide clear and coordinated policies if farmers are to play a full role in achieving environmental goals while continuing to produce food.
