WWF call for urgent government action on biodiversity

January 12th, 2024

The Worldwide Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) have warned that without major changes by the UK government the food system in England will continue to fail people.

In a new report, Roadmap for financing a regenerative agricultural transition in England, which examined financing food production, the charity urged the government to support regenerative food production in England.

The WWF called for a shift in the way food and farming is financed from both public and private sources towards nature-friendly or regenerative farming.

It warned that addressing climate, nature and the food system together will be the “triple challenge” over the next 10 years.

The report outlined how businesses must work together across the food value chain to fairly distribute the costs and risks associated with the transition to nature-friendly farming, adding that government intervention will be crucial to secure this.

It identified key areas for action for the UK government, including harmonising data for farmers to ensure consistent data standards and regulating emerging high-integrity carbon and nature markets to provide greater transparency.

It also called for the government to introduce new legislation to integrate policy decisions on food, climate and nature in a way that places regenerative farming as a core solution to all three issues.

The report, which brings together views of stakeholders across the UK food value chain, comes as farmers across the country are facing unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty.

This is due to a shift in government payment schemes coinciding with supply chain disruptions and price pressures, many of which are related to climate change and nature loss.

Kate Norgrove, executive director of advocacy and campaigns at WWF, said: “Our food systems are vulnerable to shocks, disruptions and price pressures caused or worsened by climate change and the loss of nature.

“This report demonstrates how the power of collective action and investment, if underpinned and driven by the government, can unlock a future for farming that makes both economic and environmental sense.”