Soil Health: Evidence to the EFRA Select Committee
In early 2023, the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee of the House of Commons held an inquiry into the state of soil health, which has since led to an authoritative and impactful report.
Following our report on sustainable, healthy, and resilient soils, the IES provided evidence to the inquiry, which was subsequently cited in the report.
Executive Summary
- Challenges for data gathering and measurement can be addressed through proxy indicators, holistic metrics which account for multiple dimensions or soil health, or action-based indicators to overcome data gaps.
- Further research is needed in the context of emerging contaminants, Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, and microplastics.
- Action is required to increase uptake of measures and an ambitious approach is needed across different types of land use.
- Proposals for agriculture require urgent, widespread, and effective implementation which maximises benefits for soil on agricultural land.
- Drivers of unsustainable consumption and production across the economy should be addressed to ensure that the entire food system promotes good soil health and other environmental co-benefits.
- The Government must take a strategic approach to the full range of stressors affecting soil, including land contamination, soil erosion, and other forms of soil degradation.
Find out more
To learn more about how policy on soils has developed since the report, you can read our response to the 2025 Land Use Consultation, or our briefing on the Land Use Framework. To support effective policy delivery, join our Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC)
If you want to support the work of the IES, you can become an affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider joining the IES.
Header image credit: © Pasko Maksim | Adobe Stock
