More than 10 per cent of England’s farmland will be turned into solar farms or eco farms by 2050, Environment Secretary Steve Reed has announced.
The proposal will see significant areas of countryside converted to solar farms, tree planting and habitat improvements for birds, insects and fish.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates that nine per cent of farmland would need to be removed from food production by 2050 to meet green targets.
A further five per cent is expected to be mostly taken out of production due to decreased food output, while another four per cent will share space with trees.
More than 10 per cent of England’s farmland will be turned into solar farms or eco farms by 2050
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The Government has set ambitious targets to increase woodland in England by 20 per cent – approximately 265,000 hectares – by 2050.
Plans also include building 1.5 million new homes and installing hundreds of square miles of solar panels and onshore wind turbines.
The UK aims to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with tree planting and peatland restoration as major contributors.
Farming groups have raised significant concerns about the plans. Victoria Vyvyan, president of the Country Land and Business Association, warned: “Whenever the state gets involved, its tendency is to only become ever more prescriptive.”
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Farming groups have raised significant concerns about the plans
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The UK aims to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
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NFU president Tom Bradshaw stressed it was “imperative this framework does not further restrict farmers’ ability to produce the nation’s food.”
The Government believes food production can be maintained at current levels by targeting only the least productive land.
About 20 per cent of England’s farmed land produces just three per cent of total calories, in areas where subsidies have historically accounted for 90 per cent of farm incomes.
These areas are predominantly upland regions dominated by sheep farming, one of the most financially vulnerable sectors.
However, the Environment Secretary sought to reassure landowners and farmers that the Government “won’t tell anyone what to do with their land but help them take better decisions”.
Reed said the Government will instead work with decision-makers across the countryside to develop the “levers” and “incentives” that can drive the necessary changes.
“Until now, there has been no clear direction set by government on how our land could best be used across England and how to support those who make decisions about land, how to minimise trade-offs and maximise potential,” he said.
The Environment Secretary sought to reassure landowners and farmers that the Government ‘won’t tell anyone what to do with their land but help them take better decisions’
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The Heckington Fen Solar Park (not pictured) has sparked intense local debate in LincolnshirePA“We need better data and tools to inform decision-making so we can grow the food to feed the nation, build one and a half million new homes to address the housing crisis, construct the energy infrastructure to secure home grown clean power and, underpinning all these ambitions, protect and restore nature.”
A Government spokesman added that the framework would provide “the most sophisticated data ever published on land use options” to help farmers make better decisions.
Maps included in the consultation documents will categorise the country based on areas suitable for tree planting and habitat restoration.
The plan will guide local authorities and government departments in making decisions about new investments and development locations.
The framework was presented at the Royal Geographic Society in Kensington earlier today.
Last week, farmers told GB News it was ‘wrong’ to turn to solar but suggested it could pay three times more than standard arable practices
Speaking to the People’s Channel, Lincolnshire farmer Andrew Ward said: “It is difficult, but it does all come down to finances.
“When you can make what you’re getting paid as a farmer, you get paid about £1,100 an acre for solar, against growing a crop, which you’re getting probably a quarter of that.
“You can see why people are doing it. It’s wrong, yes, but what else? Where do we go on this?