UK Climate Change Commission: "Net Zero requires a transformation in land use across the UK. The report sets out a detailed range of options to drive emissions reductions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Increase tree planting – increasing UK forestry cover from 13% to at least 17% by 2050 by planting around 30,000 hectares (90 – 120 million trees) of broadleaf and conifer woodland each year.

Encourage low-carbon farming practices – such as ‘controlled-release’ fertilisers, improving livestock health and slurry acidification.

Restore peatlands – restoring at least 50% of upland peat and 25% of lowland peat. Encourage bioenergy crops – expand the planting of UK energy crops to around 23,000 hectares each year.

Reduce food waste and consumption of the most carbon-intensive foods – reduce the 13.6 million tonnes of food waste produced annually by 20% and the consumption of beef, lamb and dairy by at least 20% per person, well within current healthy eating guidelines."

From exec summary: “….The UK’s net-zero target will not be met without changes in how we use our land. Those changes must start now. The Committee’s previous work1 has shown it is possible to reduce land-based emissions of greenhouse gases while contributing to other strategic priorities for land such as food production, climate change adaptation and biodiversity.This report focuses on the policies to drive that change. Farmers and landowners will face many challenges over this transition, but the framework set out in this report can help to make it a fair one by creating new opportunities and revenue streams that reflect the benefits they bring to society. Current policy measures will not deliver the required ambition. Incentives for agricultural land use have not seen fundamental change for decades. Throughout the UK there is an urgent need for a new approach: the legislative opportunities for real change are available and should progress immediately. We have reviewed the land use scenarios from our recent Net Zero report, taking account of new global and UK evidence. We conclude that they are still appropriate. In 2017, emissions from agriculture, land use and peatlands were 58 MtCO2e. With ambitious steps, emissions in these sectors can be reduced by 64% to 21 MtCO2e by 2050. This will deliver a net lifetime benefit to the UK of the order of £80 billion. There are also additional annual savings (25 MtCO2e) from using the harvested materials from trees and energy crops for use elsewhere in the economy.

Full report here