The report warns that the farming sector is facing higher levels of nature-related financial risk and labels the declining health of soils, which are vital for food production as a ‘chronic’ and ‘ongoing’ risk. It also warns of the impact of declining pollinator numbers.
In response to the findings, the Soil Association is calling for investors and the Government to back nature-friendly farming.
Brendan Costelloe, policy director at the Soil Association, commented: “This report shows that we cannot survive without nature and highlights the folly of investing in industrial farming practices that deplete the wildlife we depend on to produce food. UK food production, and every business which depends on that, is threatened by the catastrophic declines in wildlife we are seeing and by degradation of one of our most vital resources for survival – soil.
"Farmland makes up 70% of Britain and we can’t fix the decline in nature and reduce the associated financial risks without a transformation in food and farming. Many farmers are working with nature and many more are keen to do. But we remain too dependent on over-intensive, chemical-reliant methods that destroy habitats such as industrial livestock systems fed on imported soy.
"It is also vital that the Government acts on its promise to deliver a land use framework, which can help to scale agroecological farming across the country and give greater protection from harmful farming to sensitive locations. The consequences of not acting now are dire, for the whole of society.”