I have been passionate about the environment all my life, and long before I entered Parliament. Ever since as a child I witnessed the destruction of Britain’s forests in the Great Storm of 1987 I have been committed to restoring woodland and promoting biodiversity at home and abroad.
As an MP, my proudest achievement in Parliament has been introducing the Net Zero Bill (before Extinction Rebellion had come into existence incidentally) which committed our country to Net Zero by 2050. No other G7 country has made that commitment. Nor should we forget that this country has slashed carbon emissions by 45% compared to 1990 levels. We are also within months of removing coal completely from the UK energy mix. Meanwhile, major European economies are responding to the energy crisis by burning more coal. Further, we have the largest offshore wind generation capacity in the world after China.
That’s why it’s important to set the record straight, and I have taken your concerns in turn below.
To be clear, the Government does not intend to go back on its commitments to environment-focused farming reforms and nature, and these claims are untrue.
Farming
As set out in the Growth Plan, the Government will be looking at the frameworks for regulation, innovation and investment that impact farmers and land managers, to make sure that the policies are best placed to both boost food production and protect the environment.
This includes looking at how best to deliver the Environmental Land Management schemes to see where and how improvements can be made, and the Government will continue to work closely with the sector to ensure these are designed and delivered optimally. This does not mean that the schemes are being scrapped.
Boosting food production and strengthening resilience and sustainability come alongside, not instead of, protecting and enhancing our natural environment.
Investment Zones
I am aware that the purpose of speeding up the planning system in defined Investment Zone areas is to cut back on unnecessary bureaucracy that slows down high-quality development. While the Government has set an intention to remove red tape as part of the streamlined planning process in Investment Zones, guidance provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is clear that this will target requirements which “create paperwork and stall development but do not necessarily protect the environment”.
Key planning policies which ensure developments protect our precious natural heritage and maintain national policy on Green Belt will continue to apply.
Environment Act 2021
The Government has a world-leading agenda for nature recovery backed up by plans for a legally binding target to halt nature’s decline by 2030. Its 25-Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition for a growing and resilient network of land, water and sea that is richer in plants and wildlife. We will restore 75% of our one million hectares of protected sites to favourable condition, securing their wildlife value for the long term.
Internationally we have also committed to protect 30% of the UK’s land and ocean by 2030 through the Leaders Pledge for Nature, committing to put nature and biodiversity globally on a road to recovery by 2030.
In order to support this ambitious work, we published a Nature Recovery Green Paper earlier this year setting out proposals to reform our system of protections, including the Habitats Regulations. The Nature Recovery Green Paper consultation closed in May and we are now in the process of analysing responses with our response to be published in due course.
We have the chance to have a farming industry that is more independent and resilient. It will be an industry that champions economic growth and increases domestic production while returning nature to the land and improving the natural assets, such as soil, that support food production.