Interim findings from the LUNZ Grasslands workshops with UK farmers and land managers on priority farming practices for achieving Net Zero

This interim report presents research undertaken by the LUNZ Grasslands project team in collaboration with pasture-based farmers and land managers between May 2025 and April 2026. The research addresses the question of how sustainable, acceptable and accessible land use for Net Zero can be delivered across UK agricultural grasslands.

The LUNZ Grasslands project focuses on transforming grassland systems to support the transition to Net Zero emissions while simultaneously enhancing soil health, biodiversity, farm productivity and rural economies. This interim report is intended to inform participating farmers and land managers, the LUNZ Grasslands project team, project partners and policymakers of our findings thus far, and to seek your thoughts and feedback.

A final version of this report will be written towards the end of the project in 2027. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of UK legislation and policy relating to Net Zero, agriculture and land use and connect these policy ambitions and recommendations with the knowledge and experiences of farmers involved in this research.

The report is structured in two parts.

Part One synthesises relevant legislation and policy and highlights key challenges currently faced by farmers. This includes background context on agriculture across the four devolved nations, drawing attention to policy shifts, points of convergence and divergence, as well as an overview of the UK’s climate change legislative framework, greenhouse gas emissions targets and carbon budgets for each nation. Part One concludes by bringing together the Climate Change Committee’s and policy direction with the challenges experienced by farmers, highlighting areas of alignment and tension.

Part Two presents the research undertaken with farmers and land managers across three workshops held between May and September 2025. It begins by outlining the workshop activities and the supplementary survey that was conducted in Spring 2026 to engage with a larger pool of farmers and farm workers. It then presents our findings from the workshops and survey, followed by a discussion that links our research findings to the UK’s Net Zero policy objectives.

The report concludes with recommendations and next steps.

LUNZ Grasslands WP1 Interim Report 2026