Farming Roadmap & Crazy Heat

Do you remember when summer could be enjoyed, purely and simply, without a sense of impending doom? I do, just about. But probably, as someone in my mid-thirties, I am around the cut-off point.

Summer is somewhat painful now, and not just because of the physical discomfort of 30+ degree heat. You hang out your laundry and fear the swifts might fall from the sky; go for a walk and worry about wildfire; paddle in a river and wonder if there’s enough water for the fish.

It sounds apocalyptic but I’m not making it up: these are just some of the impacts we cover in this week’s edition of Ground Cover. Read on to find out more – preferably while sitting under a tree with a big glass of water.

Also in this week's edition:

• Surprise results of ancient woodland mapping
• Managing nature on the battlefield
• The benefits of organic farming
• Human composting
• Allotments designed to flood.

There will be no Ground Cover next week as I am on holiday.

National news

Farming | The government has released its 25 Year Farming Roadmap, which it calls ‘the most significant moment for English agriculture since the Second World War.’ The roadmap sets out a long-term vision for farming and brings together the government’s various policies into one coherent document. Nature is at the heart of the plans: the roadmap argues that it is possible to ‘rebuild natural capital’ while maintaining a ‘profitable business’. Or as farming minister Emma Reynolds told the Times: ‘We’re saying that everything sort of depends on each other.’ The NFU celebrated the government’s ambition while cautioning about a lack of long-term funding to deliver it. ‘The Treasury is conspicuously absent in this plan,’ said NFU president Tom Bradshaw. The Soil Association welcomed a focus on healthy soils and called for a follow-up Organic Action Plan for England. The Telegraph, meanwhile, focused on lentils and migrants.

Wales | The Welsh government will invest more than £10m into the Nature Networks Fund, rural resilience and sustainability minister Llyr Gruffydd announced in the Senedd this week. The money, he said, will help to restore biodiversity, create jobs and strengthen connections between communities and their environments. He also announced that work has begun on a Climate and Nature Plan, which will set out the government’s plans to deliver net zero emissions by 2040 and ‘substantive nature recovery’ by 2050. The plan will embed climate and action across all Cabinet portfolios, including housing, transport, health and the economy. Plaid Cymru took control of the Welsh government in May – we covered the party’s manifesto pledges on nature in this edition of Ground Cover.

Equity | The Environment Agency and Natural England have created two tools that show where environmental inequalities are most severe across England. The Index of Multiple Environmental Deprivation layers pressures including air pollution, habitat deficit and access to green space into a single score to pinpoint the most disadvantaged communities. The Environmental Equity Index adds data on wider socio-economic deprivation in urban areas. It is the first time these ‘compounding threats’ have been officially tracked, marking a ‘significant step towards improving access to information and justice on the environment,’ says Mike Childs of Friends of the Earth, which also contributed to the tools. Together, they are designed to direct resources to the places that need them most, writes Sarah Hammonds of Natural England in a blog. 

In other news:

• New data on pollinators between 2017 and 2024 shows a dramatic decline in hoverflies and mixed fortunes for other insect groups.
• New woodland statistics show ‘lamentable progress’ on restoring ancient woodland on private land, according to the Woodland Trust. Forestry Journal also covered the news.
• The Archbishop of Canterbury has planted an olive tree on a Christian farm in Palestine.