A FARMING union has called for proposals made to help boost nature recovery to "sit alongside equally ambitious plans for food production".

Led by the RSPB and backed by over 60 research and conservation organisations, the State Of Nature report relied on thousands of volunteers recording sightings of various species across the UK, its crown dependencies and overseas territories.

The findings indicate that UK wildlife continues to decline, with 16 per cent of species at risk of extinction.

Following the publication of the report, Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers' Union, called for any new proposals to boost nature recovery to "sit alongside equally ambitious plans for food production".

She said: "This should really matter to everyone to protect and enhance the UK’s food security. As the past 18 months have shown, food supply chains are fragile, but we can and must do more, supported by the right policy framework that values both quality, sustainable food and the environment in which it is produced.

“It’s in everyone’s interests to ensure climate-friendly British farming in the future, with a domestic agriculture policy that enables our farmers and growers to embrace accessible schemes that are fit for purpose.

"These schemes must offer fair rewards and strong incentives for participation, so farm businesses can continue to be productive and profitable while continuing to deliver the environmental benefits we all want to see.”

She also emphasised what Worcestershire farmers have been doing to help reach the net zero target by 2040.

She said: "For Worcestershire farmers and growers and those across the country the environments we work in are our homes and often have been for generations.

“That’s why we care passionately about protecting the great British countryside and huge amounts of work have been carried out through agri-environment schemes and industry-led initiatives to boost nature, create habitats for wildlife, and benefit soil health and water quality.

“As part of delivering our ambition to reach net zero by 2040, Worcestershire farmers are working in a variety of ways to reduce emissions through improved productivity on farms and changing the way we use the land in a bid to capture more carbon as well as planting more trees and hedges."