Farmers are in the best position to provide the habitats, biodiversity and other environmental benefits that society wants from the countryside, while continuing to manage the land profitably, according to Cambridgeshire farmer and CLA Vice-President Tim Breitmeyer who was addressing the European Biodiversity Conference in Brussels.
The Conference on 8 December, organised by the European Landowners’ Organisation (ELO) and now in its eighth year, focussed on adapting land management in the face of climate change.
Mr Breitmeyer said: “Scientific evidence clearly points to climate change being a reality. Farmers and land managers are in the best position to provide the habitats, biodiversity and other environmental benefits that will help combat this. They understand their land best and have a vested interest in delivering the required outcomes in the cheapest and most effective way.”
ELO Secretary-General Thierry de l’Escaille opened the Conference explaining the consequences for European agriculture in the face of a warming climate and gave a stark warning that “should global temperatures rise more than five degrees production levels in the UK could fall by 60 percent.”
Janez Potocnik, former European Commissioner for the Environment, spoke on economic opportunities in the transition to a sustainable future. He said that in providing the necessary climate change mitigation EU landowners could demonstrate global leadership in the field.
Delivering the keynote speech, DG Agriculture’s Edit Konya said the consequences of climate change for farming demonstrated how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as currently configured could play its part in adaptation and mitigation strategies.
A panel debated how farmers can grow profitable crops in a changing environment and discussed who should pay for the transition to more climate-friendly practices.
Former Swedish parliamentarian Otto von Arnold gave a practical perspective on his work restoring local streams and emphasised the need for innovation in tools and practice to adapt to climate change.
Richard Markwell, President of the European producers of Agricultural Machinery (CEMA), demonstrated that advances in technology would allow for fully automated tractors and other equipment to work the soil and make applications with immense precision. This could increase margins and reduce diffuse pollution.
The panellists concluded that a subtle shift in management practices which recognise “economy” and “ecology” must be practiced in tandem, and that EU Agriculture with policy instrument support could rise to the challenge of combating the effects of growing climate change.
