At a time of turbulence in global supply chains and political flux, Eating Better welcomes the Roadmap. This document has long since been called for by the alliance, and its publication will be welcomed by many wanting stability for the sector. While comprehensive and positive in many ways, the roadmap does leave us with some concerns. We now await further detail on delivery mechanisms, while urging clear cross-departmental join-up and a transparent policy development process – without which the Roadmap will struggle to deliver.
The positives:
Nature friendly farming and food production are framed as two sides of the same coin, each enhancing and enabling the other long-term. The roadmap recognises that the most resilient farms are profitable precisely because they work with the environment, not against it. Eating Better Alliance member, the Nature Friendly Farming Network outlines why this is critical in their new report, The Nature of Business.
As advocated for by The Food Strategy Alliance of which we are proud member, it’s great to see an emphasis placed on growing the horticulture sector, including support for innovative technologies, a commitment for more Seasonal Worker visa approvals, and funding for research infrastructure.
We’re pleased to see commitments to improve supply chain fairness and resilience, with new ‘Fair Dealings’ Regulations for each relevant sector and new regulations for fresh produce. Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming states that over 90% of the UK's food retail market is controlled by just 9 supermarkets, meaning this highly centralised system has led to power imbalance and the erosion of negotiation, with farmers forced to be price takers. As such, Sustain welcomes these commitments.
We’re equally pleased to see a commitment to extend Environmental Permitting Regulations to dairy and intensive beef farms in an effort to improve air quality. However, ambitions to expand the poultry sector through the Sector Growth plan introduces a significant risk of not meeting Environment Improvement Plan targets on pollution and biodiversity. Across the alliance, Eating Better members are in agreement that, for people, planet and animals, this sector should not expand.
What we think could be improved?
Many small scale growers will be impacted by the introduction of a 3ha minimum for the Sustainable Farming Incentive. This could prove detrimental for new entrants and market garden growers.
While it is positive that the proposed planning reforms will better enable farm businesses to diversify and develop infrastructure, the proposal to weaken planning rules in light of Sector Growth Plans indicate it may become easier to build and/or expand intensive poultry units. Throughout 2025, Alliance members secured huge wins objecting to industrial expansion, and continue to stand opposed to any reforms which would facilitate its growth.
The most concerning gap: livestock, diets and the potential of plant protein crops
The roadmap states that “An environmentally sustainable farm business manages land, livestock and inputs in a way that protects and improves the environment.” The Eating Better alliance has long since advocated that this means not only shifting towards higher welfare, nature friendly forms of farming, but also reducing livestock numbers while increasing horticulture and plant protein production.
Unfortunately however, the roadmap falls short on the latter, making no direct reference to reducing livestock numbers, and failing to properly incentivise production which would enable healthy and sustainable diets. While herd sizes may fall as part of the transition to lower-input systems, the Roadmap lacks the assertive voice needed to outline the direction of travel for a just transition in the livestock sector.
On emissions reduction and climate change mitigation, the roadmap takes a ‘technological fix’ approach, setting out plans to back agricultural research and innovation investment, including backing selective breeding, methane suppressing feed products and novel grazing regimes. Here, rather than focussing on emissions reduction per animal, we’d like to see a commitment towards absolute emission reduction through reducing herd size. Published on the same day the UK Parliament formally agreed the legally binding Seventh Carbon Budget — the most ambitious to date — this gap feels like a glaring blind spot in the Roadmap. Listen to this Footprint podcast episode with Sustain’s Ruth Westcott for more info.
While we continue to be cheered by the development of the Horticulture Growth Plan, the Roadmap lacks a substantial commitment to capitalise on the opportunity of UK grown plant proteins. It instead makes a vague reference to “exploring” oilseed and pulse diversification in light of the increasing popularity of plant-based foods. If farmers are to diversify into new markets, policy and market signals of far greater clarity and substance than this are needed to confirm it as a safe direction of travel. Equally, as we ask food businesses to diversify their protein offer, we need clear and committed signals from Government to generate private investment.
Beyond the obvious, why are these gaps a problem? The diagram on page 16 of the document positions the Farming Roadmap as the production-level delivery mechanism for the Good Food Cycle, announced in July of last year. It is therefore concerning that the roadmap offers so little detail on how UK production will support dietary change. This calls into question the extent to which the still largely unknown and elusive Good Food Cycle will address dietary change, if the Roadmap fails to properly outline the mechanisms through which production can be scaled to deliver it. Eating Better strongly advocates that if we are to shift to healthy and sustainable diets, policy coherence across these strategies and cross-departmental cooperation is vital, as is the inclusion of both demand and production side policy levers that will enable a supportive food environment for dietary change.
What comes next?
Eating Better will continue to work with our farmer and supply chain partners to support successful policy implementation. We are currently working as part of the Food Strategy Alliance to ensure that this Roadmap and all upcoming food and farming policy is joined-up, to bring greater coherence to policy across Government.
Myrtle Gregory, Eating Better Research and Policy Officer, said:
“In order to transition towards more nature-friendly farming, farm businesses need a stable direction of travel and meaningful economic commitments from Government. If enacted well, the Roadmap has the potential to deliver this. My concern lies not in the vision of how we farm, but in the lack of ambition around what we farm. If farm businesses are to become truly resilient, new markets must be opened up to facilitate diversification — crucially, this means the market for plant proteins. As we await more detail on the Good Food Cycle, I sincerely hope the lack of bravery on livestock reduction and plant protein promotion in this Roadmap doesn't signal the same for dietary shift in the Food Strategy.”
