UK Parliament report on soil health (report)

The Environmental Audit Committee Report into Soil Health published on 2nd June 2016

The Government’s ambition to manage the UK’s soil sustainably by 2030 will not be met unless further action is taken, the Environmental Audit Committee has warned in a report published today on the health of UK soil. Failing to prevent soil degradation could lead to increased flood risk, lower food security, and greater carbon emissions. Key recommendations: 1) The Government must set out specific, measurable and time-limited plans to increase the amount of carbon retained in soil. 2) Rules with greater scope, force and ambition are required in order to meet the Government’s stated goal to manage soils sustainably by 2030. 3) The Government should introduce a rolling national-scale monitoring scheme for soil health to ensure that adequate information about the state of the nation’s soil.