Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is backing a new government Agriculture Bill

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust says the recovery of wildlife in the UK, one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, depends on the Agriculture Bill enabling farmers to create and restore natural habits.

The Trust believe that now is the time for agricultural policy to lead nature's recovery, and that government proposals must trigger change on 70 per cent of land.

As the bill progresses through Parliament, The Wildlife Trusts will be highlighting how the recovery of wildlife in the UK depends on the bill, how farmers should receive public money for producing benefits to society, such as creating habitats for wildlife, and how successful farms need thriving wildlife because crops depend on pollination, natural pest control and healthy soils.

Ellie Brodie, Senior Policy Manager of The Wildlife Trusts, says: “We support the Agriculture Bill’s intention to change how taxpayers’ money will be spent towards environmental ‘public goods’.

"Spending on these is vital if we are to restore uplands to hold water and prevent flooding in towns, create new wildflower meadows for pollinators and improve the fortunes of farmland wildlife like barn owls and brown hares.

"However, we need an ambitious Bill to arrest decades of wildlife decline and allow natural ecosystems to recover.”