Defra sets farming a target to restore 240,000 hectares of peatland by 2050

What was published

The objective applies to England and is to be delivered mainly through agri-environment schemes: Countryside Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, Capital Grants and the Sustainable Farming Incentive expanded offer. Defra describes its reporting status as interim and says it was first reported in October 2026.

It has two parts that are measured separately. Restoration is counted as new or increased uptake of key scheme actions from 1 January 2020, with only the additional area counted. Management is counted as the area of key actions in live agreements at each capture date. Defra says management is not yet measured and that contributing uptake is expected to be reported in late 2026.

Which land counts

Only work on deep peaty soil counts, defined as soil rich in organic carbon to a depth of more than 40cm, in line with the IUCN UK Peatland Strategy and the England Peat Map. Work on shallow peat, or on soils with only pockets of deep peat, counts instead towards a separate wildlife-rich habitat objective. Land funded by the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme is excluded to avoid double counting.

Several actions only count when combined on the same area. For example, blocking grips or drainage channels (WN1) must be paired with the moorland re-wetting supplement (UP5) or a raised water level supplement (SP2 or CSP2), and management of lowland raised bog must be paired with drain blocking.

Context

Defra links the objective to the Environment Act target to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042, to 30by30 and to the Sixth Carbon Budget, which covers 2033 to 2037. It publishes a required uptake trajectory to 2050 but says this should not be read as a forecast of uptake or of future scheme availability.