MPs probe links between soil health and agriculture

5 May 2023

House of Commons

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Press information for immediate release on Thursday May 4, 2023

MPs probe links between soil health and agriculture

Evidence session in the inquiry into Soil Health

Session to be held at 3pm on Tuesday May 9 in Committee Room 6

Attend the session in person or watch live on parliamentlive.tv

This second evidence session in the cross-party parliamentary inquiry into soil health will focus on the important role played by agriculture.

The Committee will ask about the challenges farmers and other land managers face when seeking to both look after their soil but also run a profitable business. This is likely to involve discussion of the potential disadvantages and the advantages they could gain from better soil management, such as reduced yields, but also reduced reliance on expensive fertilisers.

The Committee is likely to ask how the Government’s new Environmental Land Management schemes, which are replacing the EU Common Agricultural Policy, will achieve sustainable soil management goals. The Committee may also discuss wider changes that we need to see to gear our whole food supply chain towards more sustainably produced food that protects our soils.

Witnesses:

• Richard Bramley, Chair of the Environment Forum of the National Farmers Union and an arable farmer from near York
• Professor Pippa Chapman, Chair in Biogeochemistry in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. A soil scientist with interests including the effect on soils of land use and agricultural practices.
• James Robinson, Vice Chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network. Runs a 300 acre organic dairy farm in Cumbria.
• James Woodward, Sustainable Farming Officer for ‘Sustain’ - “an alliance working for a better system of food, farming and fishing”. Has previously worked for Defra and its advisory body, Natural England.

Further information

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