Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 10 October 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 12 October 2005. It was answered by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 October 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Carbon

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the loss of carbon from soils since 1980; what she estimates the loss from this source will be in 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: Based on soil carbon measurements carried out in England and Wales between 1978 and 2002, we estimate that on average 4.4 million tonnes of carbon has been lost from the top 15 cm of soil each year. The rate of loss in 2005 is likely to be at about the same level. The actual amounts will vary between soil types and land management practices, and recent evidence suggests that carbon is increasing in some soils. The cause of this loss, and whether carbon has been lost to the atmosphere or dissolved in water and incorporated in other sediments, or transported to lower depths, is not yet fully understood and Defra has therefore commissioned further research.We have introduced a number of soil protection measures that will help to conserve soil carbon. The reformed Common Agriculture Policy requires all farmers in receipt of the single payment to take measures to protect their soil from erosion, organic matter decline and structural damage. Further incentives for good soil/land management are available under the Environmental Stewardship scheme. We are also planning further soil monitoring to estimate soil carbon levels.

Secondary information