Joe Lyall

View of river and its banks and the headline NEWS: Poor health scores for rivers mask biodiversity improvements

NEW: Poor health scores for rivers in England are masking biodiversity improvements, a new report led by UKCEH has said. It proposes an alternative monitoring standard, including a regular biodiversity audit.

Read more: www.ceh.ac.uk/press/poor-h...

#WaterFrameworkDirective 🧪

1/

Petition: Provide funding for a nationwide, nature-rich river corridor network. Support farmers and landowners to make space for water with more, easily accessible funding schemes. We call on government to commit to providing financial incentives to help farmers create & maintain...

"Support farmers & landowners to make space for water with more, easily accessible funding schemes. We call on government to commit to providing financial incentives to help farmers create & maintain connected land along all river corridors (with buffers, wetlands, riparian tree planting) at scale."

💧Last week we launched Making Space for Water. This week we took the campaign to the Houses of Parliament.

Here's why we are asking government to make #SpaceForWater and restore our rivers with nature-rich corridors, and why we think you should too

‪@nationaltrust.org.uk‬ @beavertrust.bsky.social‬

Snapped our cows there Mark! They’ve got 20 acres on the other side of the river and still choose the mud 🤦‍♂️

Birds singing and cows grazing - nowt else to add.

When farmers and scientists collaborate, biodiversity and agriculture can thrive – here’s how Farmers can take ownership of nature recovery actions and scientific expertise can adapt to local knowledge in the design of environmental outcomes.

Delighted to see our joint article by Charlie Masquelier and Matt Lobley at @crpr-exeter.bsky.social published - hoping to spark a conversation on 'When farmers and scientists collaborate, biodiversity and agriculture can thrive – here’s how' theconversation.com/when-farmers...

POLITICAL PRINT: Producers pay the price for broken system Defra’s decision to suddenly shut its sustainable farming scheme exposes a number of hard truths about fixing our broken food system. By David Burrows.  On Tuesday last week the sustainable farming in...

From today's #DailyNewsDigest📰: "Big ag and big food have worked hard to have their cake and eat it by pressuring farmers to adopt greener practices (and making sustainability claims) but not paying the (premium) price in return."
foodservicefootprint.com/political-pr...

Farmers need power and money; it’s time for ambitious thinking on trading systems and investment | Sustain Farmers and growers need the power and money to enable the necessary decision-making, changes and investment for climate- and nature-friendly farming and high animal welfare. Let’s aim for a 25% marke...

Flip side of debate re ELMs and policy
I wrote this back in 2021- I stand by it* & think soon (4/6 years?) we'll have action because without a much better/fairer market, the food system won't work in a v climate stressed world
*wld change word subsidies to payments
www.sustainweb.org/blogs/feb21-...

Government to increase Higher Level Stewardship payments and re-open Capital Grants Offer The government is increasing payment rates for those in existing Higher Level Stewardship and confirming the ELM standalone Capital Grants offer worth £45m in 2025/26 will re-open in the summer.

Buried in the fine print, the recruitment for a Tenant Farming Commissioner has finally started!

A healthy landlord relationship is key to delivering sustainable tenant farming, but too often it breaks down and fails. This role can help to prevent that happening anymore.

www.gov.uk/government/n...

A fascinating article shining a light on how grass became law across much of the farmed landscape.

Work like this needs to be reflected in the upcoming Land Use Framework if we are to get the best returns for food, farming and the environment.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Carbon capture usage and storage – what are the plans and prospects? The government announces major investment in carbon capture technology, but is it really the right green solution for the country?

£22billion on unproven tech.. Mad...a big chunk should be used instead for carbon storage in farm soils, trees, hedges...
Multifunctional land use
Carbon capture usage and storage – what are the plans and prospects? yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/environ...

Farming on marginal land in the UK often makes little sense in terms of productivity, economics or the environment

Such land could be used efficiently for nature recovery

But we do need a just transition for those farming that land now

Could you be our next youth farming ambassador? | Sustain We're looking for people aged 18-30, working in farming, with a passion for getting younger voices heard within the food and farming sector

📢 Could you be our next youth farming ambassador?

We're looking for people aged 18-30, working in farming, with a passion for getting younger voices heard within the food and farming sector. In collab with @sosukcharity.bsky.social @landworkersuk.bsky.social @nffn.bsky.social

Info to apply🔽

▶️ Ahead of government publishing it’s Land Use Framework consultation this Friday, our sustainable farming coordinator Will White breaks down the impact farming policy has had on our land thus far, and why the UK needs a new framework.

For @tortoisemedia.bsky.social podcast

Bee-friendly grasslands dug up thanks to ‘perverse’ subsidies Experts estimate hundreds of hectares of grasslands have been converted so farmers can claim payments on different types of land

Right now, securing payments often comes before long-term decisions for food and nature. 🌾💰 Without the right advice, farmers are left picking from schemes in bits and pieces instead of taking a whole-farm approach. That needs to change. 🐝🌱 #PublicMoneyPublicGoods
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Oxford 2025: Breaking bread... ... And breaking through boundaries.

As the dust settles on Oxford 2025, the FFCC team reflect on what they saw, heard & felt at both #OFC & #ORFC. Highlights included calls for collaboration from ministers from the devolved nations & @foodfoundation.bsky.social's Anna Taylor’s talk spotlighting the links between poor diet & inequity.

Government proposals will profit agribusinesses but offer little so far to family farms or nature | Sustain Sustain reacts to latest plans announced at the Oxford Farming Conference to boost food production and farmer profits.

ICYMI >> Government latest proposals for farming will profit agribusinesses but offer little so far to family farms or nature .

▶️ Sustain reacts to latest plans announced by Steve Reed at the Oxford Farming Conference

Image of Agrarian Futures podcast episode featuring Chris Smaje

Cover of “Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future” by Chris Smaje

Highly recommend @chrissmaje.bsky.social on Agrarian Futures podcast - tying together how class, colonialism and capital interact with our food and farming systems. Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future is a must-read!

Imagine saying to farmers:

I know you’re getting screwed by the supermarkets, energy crisis, Brexit, demonisation in the media for not doing enough, and constantly changing complex grants that literally require expensive land agents to navigate, but also you should take a loan to do the right thing

For hedges, capital grants cover:
Planting
Laying
Coppicing
Fencing
Gapping up
All of which are essential, all of which are currently on hold with the capital grants freeze.

It's my biggest hope for 2025 that these are re-instated ASAP to reduce the wider damaging impacts:
A🧵