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Farmers in the South West are attending a workshop next week to discuss the risks and opportunities that climate change presents to their businesses.

Organised by Farming Futures, in partnership with the NFU, the event will focus on the regional impacts of climate change, what farmers can do now to prepare their businesses for the future and focus on the opportunities provided by anaerobic digestion.

The workshop is being held on Thursday 23 October at Lowbrook Farm, Blandford where farmer Owen Yeatman has successfully set up an anaerobic digestion unit, which turns cow slurry into biogas.

Claire Skinner, Farming Futures project manager sees that many farmers are keen to look at producing energy on farm: "Anaerobic digestion is just one of the opportunities that farmers are looking at, contributing to farm income, as well as tackling waste and pollution, and climate change at the same time. At Lowbrook Farm, the waste from three cows produces enough gas to provide electricity for one household."

A recent survey by Farming Futures found that 52% of South West farmers are already taking action to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane on their farm and that 36% are already finding ways to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

While more than half of South West farmers believe they are already affected by climate change, 72% expect to be affected in the next ten years, which is the highest figure for any of the regions surveyed. Although 40% of farmers in the South West see climate change as presenting more risks than opportunities to their business, 10% of farmers interviewed feel that climate change presents more opportunities than risks.

The event next Thursday is already full, with 50 people registered to attend, but Farming Futures hopes to hold another event in the region soon. The Farming Futures website (www.farmingfutures.org.uk) lists the free events that are coming up. You can also download factsheets about anaerobic digestion and many other climate change related topics, and case studies, including one about the plant at Lowbrook Farm.

Claire Wyatt, Farming Futures project manager said: "Farming Futures is a great resource for farmers, land managers and their advisors. Anyone worried about, or interested in finding out more about, the opportunities and risks that climate change brings should attend these events."

Farming Futures is an industry-led collaboration project between the NFU, CLA, AIC, AHRF, Forum for the Future and Defra to communicate practical action on climate change.

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