The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has raised five key issues for consideration in its response to Defra’s Land Use Framework consultation.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) launched the 12-week consultation at the end of January, seeking views on the concept of the Land Use Framework, which is due to be published later this year.
The consultation aims to inform and improve decision-making on how land is best used and managed to achieve Defra’s land use vision.
Saskia van Dongen, lead environment specialist – policy environment at AHDB, said: “The development of the Land Use Framework is a welcomed piece of policy, starting the conversation of how England’s land is best utilised to address competing demands for limited land supply.
“It recognises that farmers and land managers are already changing management practices to adapt to climate change and more frequent extreme weather events and highlights the role agriculture holds in securing a sustainable future.
“However, we have an underlying concern with some of the evidence base in the proposed framework and therefore what this means for achieving the aims that have been set out, including how the percentage changes in land use have been calculated.”
“The Land Use Framework consultation underpins evidence that will form the basis for wider policy development.”
Van Dongen concluded: “The Land Use Framework consultation underpins evidence that will form the basis for wider policy development, including the 25-year Farming Roadmap, The Food Strategy, and the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that this evidence base is robust and enables the Land Use Framework to meet its full potential.”
The five issues that AHDB has identified in the consultation response are:
- That the Land Use Framework has clear actionable outcomes based on robust data.
- That clear assumptions are used in the Framework due to concerns around the basis of the projected increase in yields and productivity and the use of calories per hectare in land use evaluation.
- Clear prioritisation rules regarding land use change decision-making should accompany the Framework outcomes.
- With a finite amount of land, a multifunctional land use approach is crucial.
- Land use decision-making needs to incorporate climate resilience and take a long-term view.
