Farming bosses respond to Defra’s Land Use Framework consultation
6th May 2025
The NFU as well as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board have responded to the government’s consultation on the Land Use Framework, which seeks view to develop a new, strategic approach to land use in England.
Defra launched the 12-week consultation at the end of January, seeking views on the concept of the Land Use Framework, which presents an approach to inform and improve decision-making on how land is best used and managed to achieve Defra’s land use vision. The framework is due to be published later this year.
The AHDB has identified five key points for consideration in response to Defra’s Land Use Framework consultation.
Saskia van Dongen, lead environment specialist – policy environment at AHDB, said: “The development of the Land Use Framework is a welcomed piece of policy, starting the conversation of how England’s land is best utilised to address competing demands for limited land supply.
“It recognises that farmers and land managers are already changing management practices to adapt to climate change and more frequent extreme weather events and highlights the role agriculture holds in securing a sustainable future.
“However, we have an underlying concern with some of the evidence base in the proposed framework and therefore what this means for achieving the aims that have been set out, including how the percentage changes in land use have been calculated.”
Key points
The five key points which AHDB has identified in the consultation response are:
- That the Land Use Framework has clear actionable outcomes based on robust data.
- That clear assumptions are used in the framework due to concerns around the basis of the projected increase in yields and productivity and the use of calories per hectare in land use evaluation.
- Clear prioritisation rules regarding land use change decision-making should accompany the framework outcomes.
- With a finite amount of land, a multifunctional land use approach is crucial.
- Land use decision-making needs to incorporate climate resilience and take a long-term view.
Saskia adds: “The Land Use Framework consultation underpins evidence that will form the basis for wider policy development, including the 25-year Farming Roadmap, the Food Strategy, and the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
“Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that this evidence base is robust and enables the Land Use Framework to meet its full potential.”
‘Underpinned by sound science and evidence’
In its consultation response, the NFU has said that, in order for the government to deliver on its commitment that food security is national security as well as targets and commitments for housing, infrastructure and the environment, any Land Use Framework must be “underpinned by sound science and evidence, with food production at its heart”.
A spokesperson for the NFU added: “We welcome the government’s stated commitment that the primary purpose of farming, and our rural land, will always be to produce food to feed the nation.
“We also welcome the stated purpose of the Land Use Framework, that it is not intended to bind decision makers or prescribe land uses in specific places. We strongly believe we need ambitious statutory targets for increased food production and food security in alignment with the government’s commitment that food security is national security.
“However, we disagree with the proposals for a 9% reduction in agricultural land use, and support the principle of making land more multi-functional alongside food production. Our strong preference is for an increased area of land farmed in the future for multiple benefits, with less land use change to non-agricultural, safeguarding most of our Best and Most Versatile land for agricultural production and locating non-agricultural land use (woodlands, rewilding, etc.) on poorer quality land.”
The NFU said it endorses the proposals to update existing geospatial data and make them more accessible to its farmer and grower members. For example, the union would like to see improved and more finely scaled information available on Agricultural Land Classification.
“We recommend that the Land Use Framework should be reviewed and updated only every seven to 10 years, offering certainty for long-term business planning and funding support,” a spokesperson for the NFU concluded.
READ MORE: Land Use Framework: ‘It’s vital we invest in homegrown food production’
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