RSPB NI Blog, Mark McCormick, Policy Officer – Sustainable Agriculture
Last month the Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the new UK Government’s first Budget. On the surface, the UK-wide agriculture budget is set to be maintained, rather than cut. Given the narrative of potential widespread cuts in the lead up to the Budget, this was a better scenario than might have been expected. However, this is only enough to keep nature on life support in the short-term and is far from the investment needed for meeting nature and climate targets.
New economic analysis demonstrates that current agricultural budgets are significantly less than what is required in order for Northern Ireland’s agricultural sector to help tackle the nature and climate crisis.
The independent analysis found that, for Northern Ireland, an investment in nature-friendly farming of £414m per annum is essential to not only meet nature and legally binding climate targets, but also improve the resilience of our farming industry and food production.
We know from the State of Nature report that the way we manage our land for agriculture is one of the key drivers of biodiversity loss in Northern Ireland. And we know that if we are to reverse this loss of biodiversity, meeting nature recovery targets and legally binding climate targets, we must invest in nature-friendly farming.
With 75% of land in Northern Ireland used for agriculture, farmers have a crucial role in delivering nature restoration. But they need support. Support in the form of funding from the UK Government, and support in the form of robust agri-environment packages from DAERA. From providing flower rich field margins, to planting native broadleaf woodlands, restoring peatlands, and reducing chemical use, there is widespread ambition from farmers to provide “nature security” alongside “food security”, not least as nature underpins our ability to produce food.
So how does last month's Budget announcement impact agriculture in Northern Ireland? The key significant change is in how agriculture funding will now be allocated.
Previously the UK Government would have ring-fenced funding for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). This means they set the amount of budget DAERA would receive for agriculture, agri-environment, and the wider rural economy, and it was then up to DAERA to decide how to spend it for these purposes only. This ring-fencing has now been removed. The difference now is that the NI Executive is being given a non-ringfenced budget, and it must decide how much DAERA gets. What is unclear is how they will now prioritise funding for agriculture and nature when competing with other priorities.
In response to the Budget, DAERA Minister Andrew Muir issued a post on X stating, “There will be severe concern about the implications of the budget for our environment and agriculture. Earmarked funding is vital to support the agricultural sector and assist interventions to improve our environment…”. We are also deeply concerned and would reiterate that if the UK Government is serious about meeting nature and climate targets, it needs to be investing much more in nature-friendly farming.
So, what can you do to help?
In September the RSPB launched a petition calling on the UK Government to invest in nature-friendly farming. This has gained widespread support across the UK, and we are delighted that over 1,000 people in Northern Ireland have already signed the petition. That is 1,000 voices speaking up collectively for nature-friendly farming.
With uncertainty on how the NI Executive will prioritise funding for agriculture and nature, it is important that we demonstrate support for nature-friendly farming at this critical time.
If you can do one thing for nature today, please sign the petition and share with friends and family.
We don't just want nature-friendly farming, we need it.
If enough of us speak up, together we have the power to influence the decisions made by the UK Government and the NI Executive.
Sign the nature-friendly farming petition now – www.rspb.org.uk/farmingpetition
Image credit - Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)