This page contains information relating to research being carried out by The Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) and ADAS, on behalf of Defra associated with the ‘monitoring soil health for the evaluation of agri-environment’ research project.
We are required to provide anyone engaging with the research process adequate information about our work, and obtain consent from them that they are willing to participate.
This page contains the following information:
Project Information Sheet – monitoring soil health for the evaluation of agri-environment
About the research
A consultant team comprising ADAS, the Countryside and Community Research Institute (University of Gloucestershire), Fera, UKCEH and Environment Systems Ltd, have been contracted by Defra develop a roadmap for long-term soil health monitoring and evaluation (M&E) across all Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. A central part of the project is the face-to-face survey with SFI agreement holders as well as having discussions with third-party farm advisers. The aim of these surveys is to understand their experience of SFI and others scheme actions relevant to soil. It will also consider factors such as farm type, ownership and other attitudinal influences.
What will happen next?
The aim to complete surveys between September and November 2026. You will be contacted in the next few days by an ADAS adviser to answer any questions and to seek a convenient time to undertake the interview.
Before you decide whether to take part, it is important you understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following FAQs and the Privacy Notice (accompanying this FAQ sheet) before deciding whether to take part.
Who are ADAS, Fera, UKCEH, Environment Systems and CCRI?
ADAS (https://adas.co.uk/) is the UK’s largest independent provider of agricultural and environmental consultancy, policy advice, and research and development covering food, climate, land, water, and energy challenges.
FERA (https://www.fera.co.uk/) is an applied science research consultancy organisation tackling the complex challenges linked to sustainable futures with world-class expertise and through trusted partnership.
UKCEH (https://www.ceh.ac.uk) is a leading independent research institute dedicated to understanding and transforming how we interact with the natural world by tackling key challenges of our time, such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
Environment Systems (https://envsys.co.uk/) is an established environmental and agricultural data company, based in Aberystwyth and formed in 2003, providing trusted evidence and insight to governments and industry across the world.
The CCRI, within the University of Gloucestershire, is a specialist rural research institute working at the interface of agriculture, society and the environment. Learn more about the institute here: https://www.ccri.ac.uk/about-us
Natural England are the data controller. A copy of their Privacy Notice should be supplied to you with this document.
Why am I being asked to participate?
Monitoring the effectiveness of soil health monitoring is important to understand the impact of these options and can help improve their design and operation. To do this in the long term we need to assess changes in soil health and hear the views of agreement holders. This survey is focussed on those who have selected soil health options offered under SFI. We want to capture your views on these options and the approaches to soil health that you are taking on your holding.
If I participate, what is my data going to be used for?
The data will be used by ADAS and the project team to write a report relating to developing a soil health monitoring and evaluation framework. This report will be sent to Defra and will be made publicly available. It will not be possible to identify you, your agreement or your holding in any published reports. The survey is intended to provide Defra with important feedback on the impact of soil health options provided by SFI and other agri-environment schemes. It is not designed as an audit or inspection.
With your consent, we would also like to archive your anonymised data, to enable future researchers to use it in their work.
In the future, Natural England may ask you to be involved in another round of research. You don’t have to decide about this now but will be contacted to ask your permission for this nearer the time. See the ‘What will happen to my data?’ section below for how your data could be used in the future.
What will happen to my data? Who will see it?
We will make both the project report available for use as ‘open data’, as part of Defra’s work to become a more open and transparent public body. We will not include any details of the agreements themselves (e.g. options undertaken) or personal details of agreement holders (such as names, addresses, or other contact details). The data collected as part of the project will be owned by Defra and may be used in future research by Defra or its partners and contractors.
What are the possible benefits of participation?
This research offers a unique opportunity to feedback your experiences of the soil health options under agri-environment schemes. This may be used to help improve the effectiveness of schemes for you and others in the future.
Do I have to take part?
No. It is entirely up to you whether you decide to participate and you can withdraw at any time, even if you initially agree to take part.
Who has reviewed this research to provide ethical clearance?
This research has been approved by the University of Gloucestershire Ethics Committee and steps have been taken to ensure the survey (and the wider research) fully complies with the necessary personal data management procedures in place at the University (more info: https://www.glos.ac.uk/research/research-ethics/). It has also been reviewed by Natural England’s Research Ethics Committee.
Can I change my mind?
Yes. You can withdraw from the research at any time, however it may not be possible to withdraw your data once it has been incorporated into the analysis.
If you withdraw your data, this means that it will be securely deleted and it won’t be analysed as part of the research.
Contact details: John Langley-Randall
Tel. 07435 981531
Consent form
As mentioned above, we are obliged to obtain consent from anyone who is involved in the research process that they are willing to participate. We can obtain your consent via an online form. You will be asked to answer a number of questions. These are provided below.
To complete the online consent form, please visit:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/MvEGnyuxtw?origin=lprLink
| I confirm I am aged 18 or over | |
| I feel I have received enough information about this research to help me decide whether I want to take part | |
| I feel I have had the opportunity to ask questions and my questions have been answered to my satisfaction | |
| I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I can withdraw my interview data up to 30 days after the interview | |
| I understand that I can refuse to answer particular questions | |
| I understand that personal information collected about me that can identify me that is not in the public domain will not be shared beyond the study team | |
| I understand my responses will be anonymised in any reporting | |
| I know who to ask if I have any further questions | |
| I understand that the contractors will provide Natural England with all the data I have shared, at which time the contractors will securely delete this data from their systems | |
| I understand that the data will be stored securely and can only be accessed by authorised users, in line with the UK Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 | |
| I understand that the information I share will not impact my current agreement or any future agreements | |
| I understand I may be approached by Natural England to participate in future research, and that if I consent at that time in the future, Natural England may securely transfer the information I have shared in this interview to a third-party contractor for purpose of research | |
| I consent to my anonymised interview responses to be deposited in a data archive so it can be used for future research and learning | |
| I consent to my (anonymised) responses being quoted in research outputs | |
| I consent to the interview being recorded (where necessary) | |
| If recorded, I consent to the interview being transcribed by a trusted third-party contractor | |
| I am happy to participate in the attitudinal survey | |
| I am happy for field surveyors to visit a field to collect samples. All raw data will be provided back to you | |
| As part of the project, we are trialling new technologies: Soil Acoustics – https://soilacoustics.com/ Earth Rover – https://www.earthroverprogram.org/ Would you be interested in having these trialled on your farm, which would require additional follow-up site visits | |
| Participant name |
Natural England agri-environment research projects – Privacy Notice
Who collects your personal data
The data controller is Natural England at:
- Foss House, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York, Y01 7PX
Send questions about how Natural England uses your personal data and your associated rights to the Natural England Data Protection Manager at foi@naturalengland.org.uk or:
- Natural England, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP
The Data Protection Officer for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) group is responsible for checking that Natural England complies with legislation. You can contact them at DefraGroupDataProtectionOfficer@defra.gov.uk or:
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, SW Quarter, 2nd floor, Seacole Block, 2 Marsham Street, London SW1P 4DF.
What personal data is collected and how it’s used
Natural England collects your:
- name and contact details
- age group
- general education information such as highest level of education attained
- self-reported wellbeing
- agri-environment agreement details
- views and experiences relating to your agri-environment agreement, agri-environment schemes in general and your environmental attitudes
Your personal data will be used as part of the social research that Natural England carries out. For example, it may use it to:
- understand the impact of taking part in agri-environment schemes
- understand the support required by agri-environment agreement holders to help them deliver their agreements
- understand how Natural England can best engage with people about agri-environment schemes
- develop its evidence base on the attitudes, values, understandings and behaviours of agreement holders in relation to agri-environment schemes and environmental land management
Natural England will give details of what personal data is collected and how it’s used when it invites you to take part in the research.
The legal basis for processing your personal data
The reason for undertaking this research is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, which is laid down by law, specifically sections 1 and 2 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which sets out Natural England’s general purposes.
However, the processing of your data in relation to this research is based on your consent.
Consent to process your personal data
Where the processing of your data is based on consent, you can normally withdraw your consent at any time. You do this using the contact details provided by Natural England when you take part in the research.
However, you may not be able to withdraw your data once Natural England has incorporated it into its analysis. If this is the case, Natural England will tell you when you take part in the research.
Who Natural England shares your personal data with
If you’ve taken part in a recorded interview, Natural England may share audio recordings of your interview with an external transcription service. When recordings of interviews are sent to an external service for transcription, any personal data shared in the course of the interview is not removed.
Apart from for the purpose of transcription, Natural England does not normally share your personal data with third parties. If it intends to do so, it will tell you about its plans when it invites you to take part in the research.
Data that has been made anonymous
Normally Natural England makes any data it shares with third parties anonymous. This may involve removing your personal data or combining it with other survey data.
Your anonymised information may be shared in the form of:
- processed data
- reports
- presentations
- academic publications
Natural England may archive data that it has made anonymous for future reuse. Natural England will tell you if your data will be archived and with which archive when it invites you to take part in the research. Natural England respects your personal privacy when responding to access to information requests. We only share information when necessary to meet the statutory requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
How long Natural England holds personal data
Natural England will keep your personal data for 10 years after the end of the research project. Data that has been made anonymous may be kept for longer. Natural England will tell you if this is the case when it invites you to take part in the research.
What happens if you do not provide the data
Natural England will not be able to gather your views. You will not be able to contribute to the specific goals of the research
Use of automated decision-making or profiling
The information you provide is not used for:
- automated decision making (making a decision by automated means without any human involvement)
- profiling (automated processing of personal data to evaluate certain things about an individual)
Transfer of data outside of the UK
Natural England will only transfer your data to another county that is deemed adequate for data protection purposes.
Your rights
Find out about your individual rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Complaints
You have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office at any time.
Natural England’s personal information charter
Natural England’s personal information charter explains more about your rights over your personal data.
Debrief form
Monitoring soil health for the evaluation of Agri-Environment – Interview
Today, you’ve kindly taken part in an interview for this project. We really appreciate your time.
As explained, the contractors (ADAS and CCRI) have been asked to seek the views of farmers and land managers who currently have, or have had in the past, either an SFI, Higher Level Stewardship agreement or a Countryside Stewardship agreement. The work, which is being carried out on behalf of Natural England and Defra, is seeking to understand how agri-environment scheme (AES) agreements have impacted soil health on the land and the impact they have had on agreement holders and the business that manages that land.
As should have been explained to you, you have up to 30 days from today to withdraw from the research and you don’t have to give a reason. To withdraw, please email your interviewer.
We hope you’ve not found this interview and its content challenging, but if you did and you want to access some support, the Farming Community Network offers the opportunity to talk to a sympathetic person who understands farmers and rural life.
They can be contacted by email (help@fcn.org.uk) or 03000 111999 (calls are answered in person from 7am-11pm every day of the year).
If you have any questions or want to request any further information, please email your interviewer or phone 01242 715314.
Alternatively, please contact the University of Gloucestershire NSS Ethics Lead (Dr Dani Stephens-Lewis: nssethics@glos.ac.uk)
