Climate change agenda can provide opportunities

"Climate change is a subject of global environmental concern and the climate change agenda does provide opportunities for agriculture. Improving efficiency of energy use, insulation in houses, harvesting of rain water and anaerobic digestion can all be done on farm," said Ceris Jones, NFU Climate Change Policy Adviser, to local farmers in Glamorgan recently.

Speaking at the Glamorgan NFU Cymru Annual General Meeting, held at the Grove Golf Club, Cornelly, Ceris said, "Recognising the global threat of climate change, the Welsh Assembly Government aims to achieve annual carbon reduction – equivalent emission reductions of 3% per year - as part of the ’One Wales’ commitment. UK nitrous oxide emissions have however decreased by 23% since 1990. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils are an inevitable consequence of crop and grass production, whether using organic or mineral fertilisers. Average nitrogen fertiliser inputs on UK grassland are now approximately half the rates of 20 years ago.

Ross Lewis, South Glamorgan NFU Cymru Branch Chairman said, "Grazing livestock occupy areas of land that cannot be used for any other agricultural production purpose and this helps maintain land that stores carbon. Farmers produce good food off the land, and whilst the UK is well placed to play a key role in world food production in the future as climate change takes effect and water becomes a scarce commodity in other parts of the World, it takes time to react to any increase in demand for food."

Ms Jones responded, "Focussing on a single issue as a way of saving the planet is extremely irresponsible and likely to be counterproductive. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock in the UK by a contraction of the industry, in order to reduce output and livestock numbers would simply ’export’ our emissions to other countries. What we need to do is look at doing things more efficiently rather than simply cutting livestock numbers, which would result in a necessity to import more produce!"

Figures show that methane emissions from UK agriculture have fallen by 17% since 1990, but the sector only accounts for around one percent of the UK’s total CO2 emissions. Practical measures to further reduce emissions from livestock are being explored including changing diets, improving productivity and using anaerobic digestion to produce biogas as a source of renewable, green energy.