Backing nature-friendly farming can save us billions

Right now, the UK Government is considering cuts to budgets ahead of its Spending Review on 11 June. But any cuts to the nature-friendly farming budget would not only be a disaster for farmers and nature – they also make no financial sense. Here are seven reasons why.

Water pollution in England and Wales costs us a whopping £1.3bn a year*. Pollutants, like fertilizers and pesticides running off from fields into our rivers and streams, are a major cause. 

Nature-friendly farming can reduce the use of these pollutants, keeping our water cleaner and costs lower.   

* Data from The National Audit Office

Harmful ammonia emissions – one of the main chemicals used in fertilizers – costs the UK £1.48m* a year because of its impact on our health.  

The best way to stop us breathing in this harmful chemical and to reduce this cost? Cut back on the use of ammonia as a fertilizer by supporting farmers to work in more nature-friendly ways.   

But that’s not all – when we invest in nature-friendly farming it also helps to improve air quality through the planting of trees, bushes and other plants in sensible and well thought out places within our countryside. This can help clean our air, delivering benefits estimated to be worth £182m.**

* DEFRA 
** DEFRA

One third of all food produced needs bees and other pollinators. Their pollination skills are estimated to be worth £630m to the UK.   

With numbers of these essential insects in steep decline, supporting farmers to switch to nature-friendly farming is absolutely essential to future food security. 

UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme

Flooding currently costs the UK around £1.3bn a year*. Extreme storms caused by climate change are making things worse. But if we work with nature by reconnecting flood plains, protecting and restoring peatlands and re-wriggling rivers we can slow the flow of rainwater, helping to protect homes and businesses. Doing this will also reduce the need for huge investments in man-made flood defences.

*Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, 2022

Nature-friendly farming is also climate-friendly farming. It can reduce carbon emissions and help us lock carbon away by creating and restoring habitats like woodlands and peatlands. Restoring the UK’s peatlands alone would deliver carbon benefits of £109bn* - outweighing the costs of restoration by up to ten times. 

* Data from the Office for National Statistics

Big fact - nature contributed an estimated £12bn* to tourism and outdoor leisure in the UK in 2019. With the vast majority of England’s countryside farmed, creating space for birdsong, butterflies and blossoming trees is essential to keep people coming back to relax and explore. 

* Data from the Office for National Statistics

Stepping out into nature is proven to be good for you, with the health benefits of outdoor recreation in the UK worth between £6.2bn and £8,4bn*. Our countryside is where many of us keep fit, by walking, running and other activities. 

* Data from the Office for National Statistics

A healthy natural world means healthy farms, healthier lives and a healthy economy. But with 70% of the UK farmed in some way, nature can only thrive in the UK if we invest now in nature-friendly farming. 

Ahead of the Spending Review, tell Chancellor Rachel Reeves that nature can’t afford a pay cut. Sign our petition and call on the UK Government to support nature-friendly farming. Together we can help grow a brighter future for our wildlife, our farmers and all of us.

To learn more about the financial benefits of nature-friendly farming, take a look at this blog by Steph Morren, our Principal Policy Officer - Sustainable Land.