UK biodiversity crisis:
the impact on food supply and
prices
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with nearly one in six wildlife species facing extinction. For food service professionals and organisations, biodiversity loss is not a distant environmental issue – it affects food quality, supply chains, and long-term sustainability. That’s why understanding the UK’s biodiversity crisis matters to catering and foodservice decision-makers.
Why UK biodiversity loss matters to you
- 1 in 6 UK species faces extinction
- Biodiversity loss threatens food supply and price stability
- UK farmland takes up 69% of land – how it’s managed matters
- Sustainable sourcing can help reverse the trend.
Richard Dowling, allmanhall’s Sustainability Manager, explains and provides guidance about things you can be doing…
Why UK biodiversity is under threat
In 2023, the State of Nature Partnership produced a report highlighting the alarming circumstances of the UK’s biodiversity levels. The partnership consists of over 60 different organisations, ranging from conservation NGOs, statutory nature conservation bodies, and research institutes, meaning that the report’s data are considered to be some of the most robust in biodiversity reporting. Their key findings were that:
- UK wildlife species have declined by 19% since 1970 (for example, hedgehog numbers have declined by up to 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas since 2000)
- One in six species is threatened with extinction, including hazel dormice, puffins, marsh fritillary butterflies and great crested newts
- 151 species have become extinct, such as the horned dung beetle (1974).
The data from the report cover the last 50 years, but this follows on from centuries of development, land-use change, habitat loss, and persecution, all of which have contributed to biodiversity depletion. As an advanced economy with the sixth-largest GDP in the world, factors such as urban development, overfishing, pollution, and climate change are particularly relevant.
How farming and food impact UK biodiversity
Over many decades, UK farming has helped ensure a stable food supply despite significant challenges, but this has come at the cost of excessive land use. Farmland covers around 69% of the UK. But despite appearances, many of these landscapes are far from natural – they’ve been shaped by decades of intensive farming.
As previously explored by allmanhall, modern industrial farming prioritises consistency and output, relying on intensive monocultures, heavy pesticide use, as well as beef and lamb production, all of which harm wildlife and ecosystem service provision. In fact, research has shown that around 40% of the UK’s most productive land is used to grow food for livestock. This is not necessarily the most efficient use of land that could otherwise be used to grow crops for human consumption and also provide benefits to nature and the climate.
As a result of all of this, the UK has on average about half of its biodiversity left, meaning the country is in the bottom 10% of countries worldwide. This contrasts with other countries such as Canada and Finland, who still have around 90% of their original biodiversity intact.
Given that the Industrial Revolution accelerated environmental damage and biodiversity loss globally, the UK has a unique responsibility to set a more positive example this century. It’s in our interests to do so, given that protecting biodiversity is a pre-requisite to long-term food security.
What’s being done: legislation can boost biodiversity
There are some signs of progress. In addition to long-standing legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Environment Act 2021 (which includes the Biodiversity Gain (Town and Country Planning) 2024 Regulations) aims to boost biodiversity. Through section 106 agreements, developers are required to deliver a biodiversity net gain of 10% on development sites, through creating or enhancing specific habitats. If this isn’t possible onsite, the legislation allows developers to carry out measures somewhere suitable offsite, or as a last resort, to pay the government expensive statutory biodiversity credits.
However, the legislation has received criticism. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB have questioned the efficacy of developers paying into a ‘central nature fund’, given the fact that the biodiversity from habitats such as ancient woodlands and chalk streams cannot be offset. This is why development-free zones are necessary in some cases. Ultimately, the UK’s failure to build enough homes is a serious problem, but protecting nature isn’t a hindrance to remedying it. With smart planning, both goals can be met.
Biodiversity beyond UK borders
The UK also has a responsibility to protect the environment beyond Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with the UK’s three Crown Dependencies and 14 Overseas Territories boasting a wide array of ecosystems. These are home to around 1,500 endemic species, which is considerably more than the UK itself.
Encouragingly, many have aligned themselves with the international Convention on Biological Diversity, while the new government has also committed to the 30by30 goal. This entails protecting 30% of our land and ocean by 2030, in line with global targets set at COP 15.
Biodiversity and climate change
International agreements to protect biodiversity are important, seeing as it isn’t something that can be resolved without co-operation. This is also the case with climate change, and research is displaying how we’re in danger of reaching irreversible ecosystem tipping points. Although problems such as ocean exploitation and deforestation can be considered as biodiversity issues, failing to deal with them will also have serious impacts on the climate and global economy. Dealing with these issues separately won’t work, and preserving key habitats will help us ensure global food security and fight climate change.
This is largely because many key habitats serve as carbon sinks. When greenhouse gases are released, around half remain in the atmosphere, while the other half are absorbed by land and the ocean. This is why nature-based solutions are often put forward as an important part of fighting climate change, as mangroves, peatlands, wetlands, and forests all sequester carbon.
A new economic approach to biodiversity
To protect UK biodiversity effectively, we also need to rethink economics and policy, given the economy’s dependence on nature. Some of the solutions include:
- Progressive tax reform that discourages environmentally harmful practices
- Further subsidies that reward sustainable farming and restoration
- Payments for ecosystem services (compensating landowners for protecting pollinators or carbon storage, for example)
- More investment in regenerative agriculture and restoration projects
- Incorporating environmental metrics into economic decision-making
What can you do to make a difference to biodiversity?
Although systemic change is necessary, our individual consumption choices all make a difference. Here are a few ways to reduce your environmental footprint when it comes to food:
- Eat less meat and dairy
- Conserve water and energy and consider this in the production of food
- Choose products with lower carbon and ecological footprints
Partnering with allmanhall gives our clients access to sustainable ingredients produced by some of the country’s most innovative regenerative farmers. Wildfarmed is one of the UK’s leading voices in the move towards regenerative agriculture, and they provide the flour for the bun on allmanhall’s Brighter Burger.
Cutting out pesticides and growing flowering companion crops instead of leaving the earth bare means creating the perfect environment for pollinators like bees and butterflies which in turn encourages more healthy plant growth.
Biodiversity isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for our health, economy, climate, and food.
As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the UK has played a major role in today’s environmental challenges. We now have the responsibility to lead the way in restoring nature.
As an EcoVadis Gold-rated food procurement company, allmanhall is well-placed to help organisations align with legislation and sustainability goals that reduce your ecological footprint at an organisational level.
Our sustainability team can offer guidance on ingredient sourcing with our sustainability dashboards, menu planning with The Brighter Burger and our plant-based Hero Recipes, as well as food waste reduction. All of this goes a long way towards helping to reduce your ecological footprint. And you can click here to read about more plant-based diet choices.
Keen to reduce your biodiversity impact? Contact us to explore how allmanhall’s solutions – from sourcing to waste reduction – can support your goals. We’re transforming food supply and providing insight and transparency to help inform decision making.