NEW: Poor health scores for rivers in England are masking biodiversity improvements, a new report led by UKCEH has said. It proposes an alternative monitoring standard, including a regular biodiversity audit.

Read more: www.ceh.ac.uk/press/poor-h...

#WaterFrameworkDirective 🧪

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"Support farmers & landowners to make space for water with more, easily accessible funding schemes. We call on government to commit to providing financial incentives to help farmers create & maintain connected land along all river corridors (with buffers, wetlands, riparian tree planting) at scale."

💧Last week we launched Making Space for Water. This week we took the campaign to the Houses of Parliament.

Here's why we are asking government to make #SpaceForWater and restore our rivers with nature-rich corridors, and why we think you should too

‪@nationaltrust.org.uk‬ @beavertrust.bsky.social‬

Birds singing and cows grazing - nowt else to add.

Delighted to see our joint article by Charlie Masquelier and Matt Lobley at @crpr-exeter.bsky.social published - hoping to spark a conversation on 'When farmers and scientists collaborate, biodiversity and agriculture can thrive – here’s how' theconversation.com/when-farmers...

From today's #DailyNewsDigest📰: "Big ag and big food have worked hard to have their cake and eat it by pressuring farmers to adopt greener practices (and making sustainability claims) but not paying the (premium) price in return."
foodservicefootprint.com/political-pr...

Flip side of debate re ELMs and policy
I wrote this back in 2021- I stand by it* & think soon (4/6 years?) we'll have action because without a much better/fairer market, the food system won't work in a v climate stressed world
*wld change word subsidies to payments
www.sustainweb.org/blogs/feb21-...

Buried in the fine print, the recruitment for a Tenant Farming Commissioner has finally started!

A healthy landlord relationship is key to delivering sustainable tenant farming, but too often it breaks down and fails. This role can help to prevent that happening anymore.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

A fascinating article shining a light on how grass became law across much of the farmed landscape.

Work like this needs to be reflected in the upcoming Land Use Framework if we are to get the best returns for food, farming and the environment.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

£22billion on unproven tech.. Mad...a big chunk should be used instead for carbon storage in farm soils, trees, hedges...
Multifunctional land use
Carbon capture usage and storage – what are the plans and prospects? yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/environ...

Farming on marginal land in the UK often makes little sense in terms of productivity, economics or the environment

Such land could be used efficiently for nature recovery

But we do need a just transition for those farming that land now

📢 Could you be our next youth farming ambassador?

We're looking for people aged 18-30, working in farming, with a passion for getting younger voices heard within the food and farming sector. In collab with @sosukcharity.bsky.social @landworkersuk.bsky.social @nffn.bsky.social

Info to apply🔽

▶️ Ahead of government publishing it’s Land Use Framework consultation this Friday, our sustainable farming coordinator Will White breaks down the impact farming policy has had on our land thus far, and why the UK needs a new framework.

For @tortoisemedia.bsky.social podcast

Right now, securing payments often comes before long-term decisions for food and nature. 🌾💰 Without the right advice, farmers are left picking from schemes in bits and pieces instead of taking a whole-farm approach. That needs to change. 🐝🌱 #PublicMoneyPublicGoods
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

As the dust settles on Oxford 2025, the FFCC team reflect on what they saw, heard & felt at both #OFC & #ORFC. Highlights included calls for collaboration from ministers from the devolved nations & @foodfoundation.bsky.social's Anna Taylor’s talk spotlighting the links between poor diet & inequity.

ICYMI >> Government latest proposals for farming will profit agribusinesses but offer little so far to family farms or nature .

▶️ Sustain reacts to latest plans announced by Steve Reed at the Oxford Farming Conference

Highly recommend @chrissmaje.bsky.social on Agrarian Futures podcast - tying together how class, colonialism and capital interact with our food and farming systems. Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future is a must-read!

Imagine saying to farmers:

I know you’re getting screwed by the supermarkets, energy crisis, Brexit, demonisation in the media for not doing enough, and constantly changing complex grants that literally require expensive land agents to navigate, but also you should take a loan to do the right thing

For hedges, capital grants cover:
Planting
Laying
Coppicing
Fencing
Gapping up
All of which are essential, all of which are currently on hold with the capital grants freeze.

It's my biggest hope for 2025 that these are re-instated ASAP to reduce the wider damaging impacts:
A🧵