The NFU has submitted written evidence to a new House of Lords Select Committee on Land Use in England, which was established in January 2022, chaired by Lord Cameron of Dillington.
Housing needs and the cost of living
The Committee is considering the current and future demands on land use across all of England, covering many parts of the economy in the context of the climate and biodiversity crises, housing needs and the increasing cost of living.
Key areas of interest
NFU Policy Director Andrew Clark gave oral evidence in a Committee session on 7 March 2022, and the NFU responded to the written Call for Evidence at the end of April, including the following areas of key interest within our 13-page submission:
- Our countryside is an agricultural landscape of interlocking fields, hedges and small woods, shaped and maintained by the actions of farmers, but now potentially facing significant shifts in food production and land use.
- Post-Brexit expectations of farmers and environmental ambitions must go hand-in-hand with sustainable domestic food production, in the face of government targets, single-issue pressure groups and market forces.
- It is most important that our countryside remains a multifunctional, dynamic space, producing food, energy and fibre for the nation and beyond.
- Government must prioritise making the proposed Environmental Land Management Schemes practical while offering sufficient economic incentives.
- It is vital that British farmers play their part in a global network for food producers in the face of disruption by the Ukraine conflict.
- To maintain our position as global leaders in climate-friendly food, the government should commit to at least retaining current levels of self-sufficiency, while achieving the UK’s environmental goals.
The House of Lords Committee is expected to publish its final report on this subject by the end of November 2022.