> is currently restructuring its farming subsidies to, among other things, encourage sustainable farming and mitigate food security risk ... reduce their flock by 90% or so
That seems reasonable to me. The UK has experienced heavy deforestation and holds one of the highest percentages of land dedicated to animal farming, if I recall correctly. Animal ag is a very inefficient and polluting way to feed the population.
> is currently restructuring its farming subsidies to, among other things, encourage sustainable farming and mitigate food security risk
In my opinion, the best approach would be to reforest or rewild those pastures. After all, those pastures were mostly forests in the past. This protect biodiversity and wildlife, improve local microclimates, and help the country achieve its climate goals. Although grazing is sometimes promoted as a regenerative technique, scientific evidence suggests otherwise.
A potential solution could involve government subsidies for afforesting those pastures, similar to what New Zealand is doing.
Promotion of afforestation in New Zealand’s marginal agricultural lands through payments for environmental services
"We find that even without PES, 56% of these agricultural lands present lower economic returns than forestry. When PES are considered, results suggest that, depending on the PES schemes and carbon prices, 77–100% of the low-productivity grassland areas could financially benefit from afforestation."
> It’s a hard problem that ought to have been solved decades ago.
I completely agree. Good to see those first early-but-late birds, though.
That seems reasonable to me. The UK has experienced heavy deforestation and holds one of the highest percentages of land dedicated to animal farming, if I recall correctly. Animal ag is a very inefficient and polluting way to feed the population.
https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets
> is currently restructuring its farming subsidies to, among other things, encourage sustainable farming and mitigate food security risk
In my opinion, the best approach would be to reforest or rewild those pastures. After all, those pastures were mostly forests in the past. This protect biodiversity and wildlife, improve local microclimates, and help the country achieve its climate goals. Although grazing is sometimes promoted as a regenerative technique, scientific evidence suggests otherwise.
A potential solution could involve government subsidies for afforesting those pastures, similar to what New Zealand is doing.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S22120...
Promotion of afforestation in New Zealand’s marginal agricultural lands through payments for environmental services
"We find that even without PES, 56% of these agricultural lands present lower economic returns than forestry. When PES are considered, results suggest that, depending on the PES schemes and carbon prices, 77–100% of the low-productivity grassland areas could financially benefit from afforestation."
> It’s a hard problem that ought to have been solved decades ago.
I completely agree. Good to see those first early-but-late birds, though.