April 2, 2025

expert reaction to report on regenerative agricultural practices in the UK

A report published by the British Ecological Society looks at regenerative agricultural practices in the UK.

Prof Neil Ward, Professor of Rural & Regional Development, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, said:

“The press release is an accurate reflection of the main findings in the report. This is a good report.  It has been produced by a large group of independent scientific experts and is based on a review of the state of the scientific evidence. It includes insights from interviews with eleven farmers and one independent agronomist.

“It comes from an ecological perspective.  It has less to say about the economics of farming systems change, and the implications of farming systems change for greenhouse gas emissions and the prospects of the UK achieving net zero (despite the fact that agricultural practices will be important in the net zero transition).

“Regenerative agriculture is becoming increasingly popular as an idea among farmers and pressure groups.  However, it remains loosely defined. This report provides some welcome new material to help improve the clarity of discussions around regenerative agriculture. One revealing comment is that regenerative agriculture is a direction of travel rather than an end-state.

“The report suggests that minimising the exposure of bare soil is an important principle in reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of contemporary farming.

“It also sees increasing diversity in crops grown as a central measure in reducing harmful environmental impacts.

“What the report does not do is shed light on the scale of the contribution regenerative agriculture could make to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is currently accounts for about 11% of UK GHG emissions, but as we decarbonise electricity generation and road transport, so the proportion of emissions that come from agriculture is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.

“Changes to farming practice through regenerative agriculture, though welcome, will not be enough on their own to bring agriculture into line with the UK’s carbon budget and its net zero goal.  That will require a significant change in what is produced and consumed. For example, the Climate Change Committee’s Seventh Carbon Budget, published in late February, suggested a 38% reduction in the number of sheep and cattle reared in the UK.

“This report helps sharpen and develop the working definition of regenerative agriculture, which has been open to broad interpretation. The model of farming it espouses is necessary to address UK farming’s biodiversity crisis, but not sufficient to adequately address the climate crisis too.  That would require larger-scale change in the types of crops and animals produced.”

Dr Emma Burnett, Agriculture and Sustainability Researcher, Fielden Whisky and Honorary Research Associate, TABLE, University of Oxford, said:

“This report provides a good overview of regenerative agriculture, including both academic and practical perspectives. It captures the potential benefits and concerns, including regen ag’s appeal to a wide audience, the appetite from farmers to engage in regen ag, the potential for ‘no harm done’ on-farm changes, and the very real concerns about corporate capture and greenwashing.

“The report adds to the growing body of literature that treats regen ag as a serious player in sustainable food and farming. It highlights both the beneficial elements of regen ag, as well as areas where more data is required, or where the data conflicts with assumptions. The report takes a nuanced view of regen ag, identifying that although a whole systems approach may deliver the best outcomes, farmers can sometimes only engage in a subset of practices. It identifies objectives that farmers are likely to engage through regen ag, like reducing tillage or incorporating understories and cover cropping, and highlights whether those practices have evidence of payoff over time. It also provides policy recommendations for a range of actors, including national governments, the private sector, and third-party certification schemes.”

Prof John Quinton, Professor of Soil Science, Lancaster University, said:

“The report suggests that the evidence for minimising soil disturbance on regenerative outcomes is weak. This seems to have been based largely on its controversial role as a potential tool in sequestering carbon, which has been shown to be soil and climate dependent i.e. success depends on where are you in the world are and what soil you have. However, it is very clear that minimising soil disturbances an excellent way of reducing soil erosion by water and an even better way of stopping the movement on soils on hillslopes caused by tillage, which can lead to damaging thinning of soils, reducing water supply to crops during droughts, the later point being completely missed in the report.  Where they work,  reduced tillage systems are a great way to conserve the soil and the report is perhaps overly pessimistic about their potential.

“Residue management does not get mentioned in the report at all, which is an oversight given the important role that residue can play in protecting the soil surface, enhancing soil structure and reducing erosion. It also reduces water losses in times of drought which has been shown to help reduce air temperatures.  There is also evidence showing benefits for carbon sequestration and soil biology.

“It is good to see the prominence given to maintaining a live vegetation cover through the winter. We have known for many years that vegetation protects the soil surface from rainfall, and the roughness it produces slows runoff controlling erosion and lowering the risk of muddy floods. We need to learn more about the relative benefits to soil functioning of returning more organic matter from both the above and belowground plant biomass to the soil,  and how plant diversity impacts on this in different environments.”

‘Regenerative Agriculture in the UK – An ecological perspecitve’ was published by the British Ecological Society at 00:01 Wednesday April 2 2025.

Declared interests:

Prof Neil Ward “I am funded by UKRI to co-lead a large network of 3,000 researchers and practitioners working on the UK agri-food system and net zero (https://www.agrifood4netzero.net/).   I do not have any conflicts of interest and have not worked with any of the authors of the report.”

Prof John Quinton “I have worked and published on soil erosion and its control for the last 30 years.  In the 1990s directly on the impact of reduced tillage on carbon, nutrient losses, and soil erosion.  I have worked on the impact of tillage on soil redistribution, water availability and crop yield and have had a series of PhD students working on plant diversity on cover crops. My work has been funded by the EU, Defra, NERC, BBSRC, EPSRC.  In the late 90s early 00s I did some research on cover crops for Syngenta.”

Dr Emma Burnett: “Industry funded regenerative agriculture researcher, currently employed in the private sector (with Fielden Whisky); doctoral research funding from a philanthropic organisation (Sankalpa).”

This Roundup was accompanied by an SMC Briefing.