It shouldn’t have to be a choice between farmers’ livelihoods and nature; the future of our food system depends on both. That’s why we’re calling on the UK Government to double the agriculture budget for all four UK nations to support a just transition to sustainable farming.
What’s the issue?
Food is a basic human right. But did you know that less than 0.4% of the UK’s public spending goes on farming and food production?
Now, in the face of a climate and ecological emergency the future of our food system lies in the balance, and the need to shift to more sustainable farming is beyond dispute. But farmers are once again being left behind by policies that aren’t taking their jobs and livelihoods seriously.
After decades of being pushed down a path of intensification, conventional farmers are now having to bear the cost of transitioning their farms back to lower-input systems. While small-scale agroecological farmers who have been pioneering nature-friendly farming for decades are struggling to make a living.
What are we doing?
We want the UK government to double its current spending to support a transition to sustainable farming, in order to:
- provide enough financial support and reassurance to conventional farmers transitioning to more sustainable farming practices
- build resilient local food systems through investment in local food infrastructure and subsidising the public procurement of local food by local authorities
- support a new generation of farmers, growers and food producers into the sector by improving access to agricultural land and providing proper training and support for new entrants.
- ensure that the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have the funds to increase their own agricultural budgets by an equivalent level.
This budget must go alongside policy measures to protect farmers, so they can get a fair price for what they produce.
You can read our full Briefing Document here.
What can you do?
- Sign our petition to ‘Double the Agriculture Budget for a Just Transition to Sustainable Farming’.
- Print out this A5 flyer and stick it up in your packing shed, cafe, shop or community hub, and encourage people to sign the petition.
- Write to party leaders and key politicians to urge them to take farming seriously ahead of the UK General Election. Click here to use our letter-writing action.
For more information about our campaigns and policy work on the UK agricultural transition, please click here.
