Defra is interested in soils due to the essential ecosystem services they provide such as food production, water filtration, carbon storage, and flood management. Soils face numerous pressures from land use changes, extreme weather, erosion, and contamination. Defra funds soil-related research to inform policy on issues like soil degradation, protection of peatlands, climate change impacts, and contaminated land remediation. Challenges include translating fundamental science into policy solutions and working across different timescales between research and policymaking. Opportunities lie in partnerships with researchers and aligning research with the 25 Year Environment and Food & Farming Plans.

1. Science challenges for soil policy
Daniel McGonigle
Science Programme Manager, Sustainable Land and Soils
10th
September 2015

2. Overview
• Why are we interested in soils?
• Background to soils in environmental policy/ regulation
• Soil science into policy
• Moving forward – priorities and activities
2

4. The importance of soils to Defra
• Essential ecosystem services from soils:
– Production of food and fuel resources
– Water filtration
– Flood management
– Carbon storage & climate regulation
– Support for biodiversity & wildlife
– Waste management
• Externalities / off-site effects (water quality, flooding, biodiversity)
– Estimated costs of soil degradation: £0.9bn - £1.4bn p.a.
• Cleaning up contaminated land:
– Protecting human health & the environment
– Allowing the redevelopment and regeneration of brownfield land thereby protecting
greenfield and agricultural soils
• Information barriers - link between land management and soil
function is complex
4

5. 5
• A cleaner, healthier environment which benefits people and the economy
• A world-leading food and farming industry
• A thriving rural economy, contributing to national prosperity and wellbeing
• A nation protected against natural threats and hazards, with strong
response and recovery capabilities
• Excellent delivery, on time and to budget and with outstanding value for
money
• An organisation continually striving to be the best, focused on outcomes
and constantly challenging itself
Defra’s strategic objectives

6. Pressures on soils
• Changing land use / cropping practices (e.g.
maize)
• Extreme weather: flooding and droughts
• Wind and water erosion
• Compaction
• Competition for land
• Soil sealing
• Contaminated land
• Drainage of peatlands (soil C)
6

7. Environmental regulation
• Air
• Water
• Land / soil Policy for soil since 1990s
Legislation since 1950s

8. Key developments in soils policy in England and the EU
Date Publication
Dec 1993 Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution call for evidence on soils
Jan 1994 Sustainable Development: The UK Strategy
Feb 1996 Nineteenth Report of Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, Sustainable use of
soil
Jan 1997 Sustainable use of soil: Government response to the nineteenth report of the Royal
Commission on Environmental Pollution
May 1999 A better quality of life: a strategy for sustainable development in the UK
Mar 2001 The Draft Soil Strategy for England – a consultation paper
2001 6th
Environmental Action Programme (EU Commission)
April 2002 Towards a Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (European Commission
Communication)
May 2004 State of Soils Report for England and Wales (Environment Agency)
May 2004 First Soil Action Plan for England: 2004-2006
Sep 2006 Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection (European Commission Communication)
Sep 2006 Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a
framework for the protection of soil and amending Directive 2004/35/EC
Dec 2007 First Soil Action Plan for England Final Report
Mar 2008 Consultation on the draft Soil Strategy for England
Sep 2009 Safeguarding our soils: A strategy for England 8

9. Natural Environment White Paper June 2011
– 2009 – (Labour Govt.) Soil Strategy
By 2030, all England’s soils will be managed sustainably and degradation
threats tackled successfully. This will improve the quality of England’s soils
and safeguard their ability to provide essential services for future
generations.
– 2011 (Coalition) Natural Environment White Paper
By 2030 we want all of England’s soils to be managed sustainably and
degradation threats tackled successfully to improve the quality of
soils and to safeguard their ability to provide essential ecosystem
services and functions for future generations
– 2016 (Conservative Govt.)
• 25 Year Environment Plan
• 25 Year Food and Farming Plan
9
In
progress…

10. EU soil policy
• Soil Framework Directive
• Planned communication on “land as a
resource”
– Soil degradation
– Soil sealing…
• Ongoing work on soil indicators
– Permeability
– Soil carbon?
– Erosion?
– Biodiversity?
• Future regulation or coordination?

11. Current policy focus areas
• Soils
– Soil Degradation
– Contaminated Land
– Peat use
– Peatland restoration
• Ecosystem Services & Functions

12. Policy cycle
12

13. Regulation
Policy levers…
13
Private
payments for
ecosystem
services
Voluntary
approaches
Conditions
on CAP
payments
Guidance /
advice
Incentives

14. Policy levers…
1990
Environmental Protection Act Part 2A
2015
CAP Cross Compliance Soil Rules
Requires Local Authorities to inspect their areas to find
“contaminated land” (i.e. land which poses an unacceptable risk) and
ensure that “reasonable” remediation is undertaken where such land
is found.
As part of CAP cross compliance farmers must take action to ensure
that they adhere to the standards of Good Agricultural and
Environmental Condition (GAEC). Those relating to soil are:
4. Minimum soil cover
5. Minimum land management to limit erosion
6. Maintenance of soil organic matter level

15. New cross compliance rules
• You could lose some of your scheme
payments if erosion is over a single area
greater than 1 hectare, or caused by
livestock trampling along a continuous
stretch of more than 20 metres long and 2
metres wide of a watercourse.
15

16. Defra as a research funder
• Research Themes
– Contaminated land
– Climate change and soils
– Protecting and enhancing peat soils and habitats
– Addressing soil degradation
– Preventing soil pollution
– Soil data, indicators and valuation
– Understanding multiple outcomes from land management

17. Defra as a research customer
17

18. Soil research priorities for policy
• Understanding soil degradation (including tipping points
for soil function and the delivery of ecosystem services)
• Developing aspirational quality targets for sustainable
soils
• Soil management practices for sustainability
• Natural capital: Assessing economic value of ecosystem
services provided by sustainably managed soils
• Developing quality indicators covering the range
ecosystem services provided by soils
• Affordable soil monitoring for environmental surveillance
18

19. 19
UK agricultural and soil science landscape
AHDB activities
Basic
science
BBSRC/ NERC ‘clubs’
90% gov, 10% ind.
Defra research
programmes:
1.Evidence for policy
2.Strategic applied
research to influence
industry
Levy
bodies
Farmpractice/
innovation
Policy design and delivery
Agri-tech centres
underpinning translational research capacity 50:50 gov:ind
TSB Sustainable Agri-
food Platform
Thematic
50:50 gov:ind
Research
Councils:
NERC, BBSRC,
Scottish Govt
Basic
underpinning
research
100% gov
Agri-tech
Catalyst fund
Responsive
50:50 gov:ind
Research
Council
Defra IndustryCo-funded
Industry
application
Private
companies
EU funding sources…

20. Challenges for policy impact of research
– Temporal Scale
• Policy questions often seek answers quickly
• Policy and science can operate at different speeds
– Spatial Scale
• Carrying out research at an appropriate scale to answer
national questions while delivering value for money
– Translational
• Translating fundamental science into applied policy answers
• Translating evidence into comparative metrics

21. Knowledge exchange
22
Timeframe
~5 days
~5 weeks
~5 months
~5 years
Policy makers?
Researchers?
Activities
• ‘Sounding board’
• Workshops
• Briefing notes
• Working groups to explore specific
questions
• Synthesis/review
• Strategic research (aligned with
policy timelines)

22. Opportunities
• Defra: budget pressures and new ways of working:
– Partnerships with researchers
– Research Council programmes
– Other funding opportunities (e.g. H2020)
• Knowledge exchange:
– Distilling crisp messages from research
• SoS priority on environmental data
• Current windows of opportunity to influence:
– Defra 25 year Environment Plan
– Defra 25 year Food and Farming Plan
– EU policy development

23. Summary
• Soil underpins much of Defra’s work due its ability to provide
multiple, essential ecosystem services and functions.
• We still face challenges with providing comparative metrics for
soil quality and ecosystem service delivery.
• Working with researchers and Research Councils increasingly
important

24. randd.defra.gov.uk
daniel.mcgonigle@defra.gsi.gov.uk
25

25. Defra as a research funder
• Soil function and degradation
• Protecting and enhancing peat soils
– Restoration of peat habitats
– Greenhouse gas balances
– Peat alternatives in horticulture
• Climate change and soils – mitigation and adaptation
– UK greenhouse gas inventory
• Contaminated land
• Related research on water, run-off, pollution and other ecosystem services
• Understanding multiple outcomes from land management
– Sustainable intensification
35

26. Research Councils
(with industry contributions)
Research & Innovation Clubs
SARIC, CIRC, HAPI, ARC
Research Council strategic
research programmes
BESS
Valuing Nature
Insect Pollinators Initiative
UK drought & water scarcity
Soil Security
GFS-SARISA
….and others
Research Council strategic
research programmes
BESS
Valuing Nature
Insect Pollinators Initiative
UK drought & water scarcity
Soil Security
GFS-SARISA
….and others
Research Councils
Responsive mode/
Discovery science
Research Councils
Responsive mode/
Discovery science
UK Agricultural Funding landscape
Defra research
programmes:
(e.g. SI Platform)
1.Evidence for policy
2.Strategic applied
research to influence
industry
Defra research
programmes:
(e.g. SI Platform)
1.Evidence for policy
2.Strategic applied
research to influence
industry
RDP productivity
scheme
European
Innovation
Partnerships
RDP productivity
scheme
European
Innovation
Partnerships
Centres for Agri-Tech Innovation
underpinning translational research (Govt/industry co-funded)
Centres for Agri-Tech Innovation
underpinning translational research (Govt/industry co-funded)
Farmpractice/innovationFarmpractice/innovation
Private company R&DPrivate company R&D
Levy Body funded R&DLevy Body funded R&D
Technology Strategy Board
Sustainable Agri-Food Innovation Platform
thematic
(Govt/industry
co-funded)
Agri-Tech Catalyst
responsive
(Govt/industry co-
funded)
Agri-Tech Catalyst
responsive
(Govt/industry co-
funded)
Basic & strategic science Research translation Competitive R&D Industry application
Policy design and
delivery
Policy design and
delivery
Scottish Govt (basic and policy-focused research)Scottish Govt (basic and policy-focused research)
Research
Councils
Research
Councils
Govt
departments
Govt
departments IndustryIndustryGovt/industry
co-funded
Govt/industry
co-fundedKey: