Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve soil health.

We are actively working to improve soil health across England by measuring and monitoring the national condition of soil, encouraging the uptake of sustainable soil management practices and protecting soil to be resilient to climate change impacts.

Monitoring soil health is essential for evaluating changes to soil and identifying improvements to soil health. Through the Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment Programme we are gathering data to build a robust national baseline of soil health in England and to develop a Healthy Soil Indicator under the Outcome Indicator Framework – this indicator will assess and monitor soil health.

Through our agri-environment schemes we are paying farmers for actions that protect and improve soil health and promote sustainable soil management, for example the use of herbal leys, planting cover crops, and no-till farming.