In its consultation response, the NFU has said that, in order for the government to deliver on its commitment that food security is national security as well as targets and commitments for housing, infrastructure and the environment, any Land Use Framework must be underpinned by sound science and evidence, with food production at its heart.

We welcome the government’s stated commitment that the primary purpose of farming, and our rural land, will always be to produce food to feed the nation.

We also welcome the stated purpose of the Land Use Framework, that it is not intended to bind decision makers or prescribe land uses in specific places. We strongly believe we need ambitious statutory targets for increased food production and food security in alignment with the government’s commitment that food security is national security.

Multi-functional land use

However, we disagree with the proposals for a 9% reduction in agricultural land use, and support the principle of making land more multi-functional alongside food production. Our strong preference is for an increased area of land farmed in the future for multiple benefits, with less land use change to non-agricultural, safeguarding most of our Best and Most Versatile land for agricultural production and locating non-agricultural land use (woodlands, rewilding, etc.) on poorer quality land.

We endorse the proposals to update existing geospatial data and make them more accessible to our farmer and grower members; for example, we would like to see improved and more finely scaled information available on Agricultural Land Classification.

We recommend that the Land Use Framework should be reviewed and updated only every 7-10 years, offering certainty for long-term business planning and funding support.

NFU members: Read the Land Use Framework consultation response in full

The NFU sought feedback from its members to inform its response. Our feedback form has now closed and our response will be published shortly.

The Defra consultation remains open until 25 April and seeks the views of farmers, landowners, businesses and nature groups through a series of workshops to develop the final framework.

Our countryside is predominantly an agricultural landscape – 67%, but farmers are overwhelmed by competing / conflicting demands on their land, including the needs of agricultural production (food and non-food), for leisure and recreation, requirements for biodiversity net gain, protected landscapes, and the need for economic and residential development alongside national strategic infrastructure.

While this consultation does address several concerns that the NFU had raised in advance, it contains some tough proposals and questionable assumptions that we will want to challenge.

It is part of the government’s growth agenda and the Land Use Framework will support land managers and other decision makers to deliver a combination of these benefits.

The Land Use Framework will also be the first in a series of government land-based strategies alongside the Farming Roadmap, a revised Environmental Improvement Plan, a Food Strategy and the Carbon Budget 7.

Defra says the consultation will provide decision makers with the data they need to protect the most productive agricultural land, boosting Britain’s food security in a time of global uncertainty and a changing climate.

Key considerations

The NFU welcomes stated commitments from the government, such as: “The primary purpose of farming will always be to produce food to feed the nation.”

Also that the Framework “is not intended to be used to bind decision makers or prescribe land uses in specific places”.

However, we are conscious that there are competing demands, such as meeting statutory environmental targets, including tree cover and habitat restoration/creation targets that may take precedence.

In addition, there is a proposal for 9% of UAA (Utilised Agricultural Area) to be taken out of agricultural production by 2050 (for activities such as restoration and maintenance of peat habitats, woodland, etc), which is a key concern.

See the table below.

Added to this, Defra assumes that the level of food production can be maintained or even moderately increased alongside land use changes, which we question.