UK farmers face a critical period of transformation which will bring new opportunities as well as significant challenges over the next 10-20 years. Such a transition will require significant changes to existing farming practices. It will also hasten adoption of emerging, innovative technologies and bring increased responsibility for managing the rural landscape as a ‘public good’.
Successful transition across the farming sector will require a step change in terms of knowledge and technology transfer, applied research turning ‘science into practice’, and targeted government support to ensure farm incomes and the broader rural economy are maintained.
The core theme of this report is to investigate how farming might adjust to the challenges posed by climate change. It highlights the opportunities provided by currently available and emerging technology and system solutions that will enable UK agriculture to reduce its carbon footprint in line with the various zero emission targets being set – by global institutions, by national and local government organisations and by farm and food sector representative bodies.
Transition to a low carbon rural economy will not be easy. Meeting the national ‘zero carbon’ target by 2050 represents a real challenge. But the farming industry is committed and already moving into a transition phase – reflected in activities such as land use change and biodiversity, uptake of low emission transport fuels, and on-farm renewable energy generation.
The National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales surveyed farmers and growers in 202011 and found plans to invest in energy efficiency are at the highest level recorded, followed by plans to invest in diversification and skills and training. Specifically, farmer responses highlighted the following intentions:
- 69% of farmers plan to improve soil health or carbon content.
- 51% plan to plant trees.
- 38% plan to enlarge or extend hedgerows.
- 35% plan to invest in more renewable energy generation.
- 37% of farmers are already producing or using renewable energy.
- 35% plan to invest in low carbon agri-technology e.g. precision farming.
This signals just how important sustainability and efficient food production is for farm businesses, and how British farmers are best placed to deliver climate-friendly food both now and in the future.
NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “This survey demonstrates that farmers are eager to do more as we work towards our ambition of becoming net zero by 2040. As an industry, we have huge potential when it comes to contributing to the government’s green growth ambition, whether it’s boosting farms’ productivity and efficiency, increasing renewable energy production, creating jobs, contributing to economic growth, and building on UK sustainability credentials at home and abroad.”
At the same time as reducing emissions, the UK farming industry is adjusting to the impacts of leaving the European Union in January 2020. To many, this represents an opportunity to ‘do things differently’ in terms of land management and food production.
It will be vital to develop an acceptable balance between sustainable production methods and food affordability to meet home and export market demands. Whether as a response to climate change or to Brexit, farmers and food producers must react positively to these uncertainties and investigate new ‘modus operandi’. These will take account of what can often be seen as competing demands for quality, sustainable yet affordable food production, environmental land management, and the other uses of finite land resource for energy generation, housing and transport.
The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) is committed to supporting a sustainable and zero carbon future for farming and food. Other farm representative bodies actively promoting farm decarbonisation include Sustain, Linking Environment And Food (LEAF), Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the National Farmers Union (NFU) of England and Wales, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers Union.
Farmer organisations such as Innovation for Agriculture (IfA), Gentle Farming, Groundswell, Agricology, Innovative Farmers as well as events such as the Low Carbon Agriculture show and LAMMA are just some of those providing a range of excellent farm demonstration and dissemination events supporting transition to low carbon agriculture.
Sustainable food production
The impact of GHG emissions reduction within the off-farm sectors of the UK’s food supply chain will influence and drive change in food production and processing systems. This report highlights that customer awareness in healthy food from ‘field to plate’ has gathered pace – issues such as source of origin, labelling and animal welfare are now influencing consumer choice. This trend is reflected by food retailers who are broadening their ‘sustainability offer’ and adjusting supply contracts with producers and processors to meet these changes in consumer demand.
At the same time, the cost of food must remain competitive to maintain social equity and ensure quality food for all. Maintaining this balance and indeed the reputation for quality and good value British food – supported by food standards schemes, will be increasingly important both for securing home markets and accessing global export markets12 whilst ensuring food security for the population.
The commitment of UK farmers to achieve high standards of production based upon robust environmental and animal welfare standards, in line with changing consumer demands, is well known. Following decades of progress on production yields and efficiency, the emphasis is now shifting to a more sustainable base, with broad attention now focussing upon the impact of farming on natural, often fragile and sometimes finite resources such as soil, water and clean air.
New policies and subsidies will encourage farmers to expand their role in delivering ‘public goods’ such as managing the landscape, improving biodiversity and reducing harmful emissions. This raises important questions about how UK food production can become more sustainable whilst at the same time maintaining farm incomes. It is clear that future financial support and clear guidance/advice from government to the agricultural sector will be major drivers of change.