The UK’s farming industry may struggle to achieve its target of being “net zero” by 2040, which is 10 years ahead of the UK’s national target, according to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). The goal of achieving net zero, which means not adding to atmospheric greenhouse gases, may be challenging due to a lack of investment by the previous government into climate-friendly agriculture, the NFU warned. The Soil Association, a charity promoting sustainable land use, claimed that radical changes were needed for UK agriculture to reach net zero.
UK farming contributes around 12% of the UK’s overall greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through nitrous oxide from fertilisers, and methane from livestock, as well as from carbon dioxide emissions. Reducing emissions has involved more efficient and sustainable production methods, changing how land is managed to capture more carbon in the soil, and the promotion of on-farm renewable energy schemes.
The UK has a legally-binding target of net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 under the Climate Change Act. In endeavouring to reach net zero more quickly than that target, the NFU has set a target for English and Welsh agriculture to achieve net zero by 2040. The industry has pilot projects monitoring individual farm progress towards this aim.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw has called for the agriculture budget to be raised from £3.5bn to £5.6bn to assist farmers in delivering emissions cuts by providing support across the sector. However, funding cuts may be a risk, with fears that the government could cut £100m from its agriculture budget. The government has recognised a £358m underspend in the agricultural budget over the past three years
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