Conservation and wildlife groups have issued a joint plea to the government for a significant increase in the budget for nature-friendly farming.

A new report commissioned by the RSPB, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts calls for long-term investment to future-proof British farming and support nature recovery.

The report, A Scale of Need, includes economic analysis which the groups say demonstrates that the current agricultural budget is significantly less than what is required for the UK farm and land management sector to help tackle the nature and climate crisis.

It finds that increasing investment in nature-friendly farming to £5.9bn per annum across the UK is essential to meet legally binding nature and climate targets, and improve the resilience of the UK farming industry.

The RSPB, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts are now calling on the new government to increase the overall agricultural budget, and for the UK and devolved governments to then increase investment in nature-friendly farming.

Their calls come as the government this week revealed a £22bn hole in the public finances, and announced a series of cutbacks in major infrastructure projects. It is thought that there will be no announcement on the money available for agriculture until at least the Budget, which is due on October 30.

Craig Bennett, of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Climate change and nature loss are the two biggest threats to UK food security and we are already seeing their impacts on food production, including the impact of the incredibly wet year to date. We are urging the new UK government and devolved governments to urgently rise to this challenge with more ambitious funding models for nature-friendly farming.

"Farmers must be rewarded for helping nature to recover and tackling climate change, as well as producing food. These issues are deeply interlinked.

“Investing in nature restoration is a necessary, long-term strategy that will help to future proof UK farming, while also mitigating against the wider impacts of climate change. Restoring habitats can help protect communities from flooding. Protecting soils on farms helps to reduce run-off and clean up rivers. Landscapes full of wildlife lift our spirits and promote wellbeing, while also underpinning food production. The huge return on increasing investment in nature-friendly farming must be realised, and fast.”

In response to the report, Martin Lines, CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), said: "This report should be a wake-up call for decision-makers across the UK and drive a step-change in investment for farming and land management.

"Tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis is not just important in its own right; it is crucial for farm business viability and UK food security. We have already seen the impact a wet winter and widespread flooding has had this year, and we know we can expect much more weather-related volatility in the future. Our ability to grow plentiful food long-term depends on improved soil health and water quality, increased resilience to flooding and drought and nature thriving on farms. Paying for this is not a negative cost to society, but a vital investment to secure our long-term food production capacity.

"As the new Government starts work in Westminster, we need to see increased ambition for the UK's farming budget and rapid scheme progress in England so the farming community can swiftly transition to nature-friendly farming at the scale required.”