Environment Act 2021 Targets

Lord Roborough Excerpts

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

With the interim and statutory targets that we have on habitat, a mix of groups—farmers, environmental NGOs, businesses and the public—are going to have to come together to meet them. To meet the habitat targets, we have lots of inter- dependencies, which makes it more difficult. The noble Lord is right to point to nitrogen, which is a particular problem. This comes back to the noble Baroness’s question about rivers; this is an important part of our delivery around habitats. I know that the noble Lord has been meeting officials, and we very much value his expertise in this matter. I suggest that we continue to work together, because these targets are challenging.

[Lord Roborough (Con)]

My Lords, I refer the House to my registered interests as a farmer and landowner. When in government, we passed the Environment Act, but Governments alone cannot fund all nature restoration. What steps are being taken within Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Minister’s department to encourage private investment in nature restoration, both in its own right and as a co-benefit from nature-based solutions to flooding and drought?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As the noble Lord rightly says, government cannot pay for everything. As noble Lords have previously said, these are difficult and challenging targets; there is a lot of work to do, and engaging the private sector is critical. I know that the noble Lord has a particular interest in this, and I am very happy to continue to work with him on how we can encourage private investment in nature restoration.