State of knowledge on UK agricultural peatlands for food production and the net zero transition

Abstract

Agriculturally-used lowland peatlands are the most productive soils in the UK for growing many food crops. This requires drainage of the peat, which subsequently leads to significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Historically, there has been a focus on using this land to increase food production, without considering the associated negative environmental and climate impacts. Focusing only on eliminating GHG emissions, would have economic consequences and jeopardise food security in the UK to a greater extent than is currently being experienced. This could result in food price inflation and trade barriers, and would risk transferring GHG emissions from food production to other countries. In March 2023, in a bid to identify alternative land management systems for peatlands to support the UK’s commitment to achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050, a group of 40 investigators met at a workshop convened by the AgriFood4NetZero Network+. The expert workshop reviewed the state of knowledge surrounding the Fens of eastern England and their importance for food provision, economic value, cultural identity, and climate change mitigation. A broad consensus emerged that a holistic and plausible land use scenario that considers all aspects of ecosystem services provided by the Fens urgently needs to be defined.