EFRA Select Committee’s Inquiry on Soil Health

ClientEarth argues that the UK government has significantly reduced its ambitions for soil health, moving from a goal of all soils being sustainably managed by 2030 to only 60% of agricultural soils. The submission highlights a fragmented regulatory landscape, poor enforcement by the Environment Agency, and the risk that the Retained EU Law Bill will create a 'regulatory gap' by removing cross-compliance standards. ClientEarth advocates for a new legal framework with binding targets, a universal definition of 'healthy soils', and a shift away from purely voluntary schemes like the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), which they argue lack the mandatory minimum standards necessary to achieve national environmental goals.

• The UK Government has lowered its soil health ambitions in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), reducing the target from all soils being sustainably managed by 2030 to only 60% of agricultural soils by that date.
• The Retained EU Law Bill poses a significant risk to soil protection by potentially revoking or watering down existing regulations, including cross-compliance standards, without sufficient parliamentary oversight.
• The transition to Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) creates a risk of an 'environmentally damaging interregnum' because the schemes rely on voluntary 'pick and mix' participation rather than mandatory minimum environmental protection standards.
• Improving soil health is essential for meeting other statutory UK targets, including the Climate Change Act 2008, the Environment Act 2021, and the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018, particularly regarding ammonia emissions and carbon sequestration.

APA

ClientEarth (2023). EFRA Select Committee’s Inquiry on Soil Health. https://www.clientearth.org/media/3uonkf0u/clientearth-response-to-efra-select-committee-s-inquiry-on-soil-health-final-version.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. EFRA Select Committee’s Inquiry on Soil Health. 2023. https://www.clientearth.org/media/3uonkf0u/clientearth-response-to-efra-select-committee-s-inquiry-on-soil-health-final-version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=EFRA Select Committee’s Inquiry on Soil Health |date=February 2023 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/3uonkf0u/clientearth-response-to-efra-select-committee-s-inquiry-on-soil-health-final-version.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2023efra, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{EFRA Select Committee’s Inquiry on Soil Health}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/3uonkf0u/clientearth-response-to-efra-select-committee-s-inquiry-on-soil-health-final-version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }