Agriculture and the seventh carbon budget

The CCC sees the expansion of woodland and restoration of peatland as a key lever in increasing carbon sequestration. However, other than peatland, there is no mention of soil carbon stock increases.

We believe this to be a gap in the analysis and a missed opportunity for enhancing carbon sequestration within the agricultural landscape. It highlights, as mentioned by the Agriculture Advisory Group, the need for a holistic integrated approach.

Disappointingly, the seventh carbon budget does not make the link between grassland carbon sinks and livestock. The reality is livestock play an important role in soil health, regenerative farming and biodiversity.

Achieving a more plant-based diet may not be achievable for some. Adopting such a diet can be a significant financial burden, especially for low-income households.

There is also a risk, if livestock production falls faster than meat consumption in the UK, that imports of meat will increase to satisfy consumer demand.

This undermines the global net benefit of the carbon budget’s objectives if those imports were to be from countries with a higher carbon footprint in livestock production than the UK.

Furthermore, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13, there is a global responsibility to address climate change. Subsequently, UK feed should be exported to overseas markets as a more sustainable alternative to feeds which have greater environmental footprint.

We are concerned at the baseline crop yield used in the budget is from 2022.

This year saw very high year crop yields due to climatic conditions. For example, the wheat yield in 2022 was 8.6 t/ha, significantly above the five-year average yield of 7.8 t/ha for 2020–2024 harvests.

If we apply the proposed 16% increase in yields to be achieved by 2050 using the 2022 wheat yield baseline, it would give a proposed wheat yield of 9.98 t/ha, whereas applying the 16% increase to the five-year average of 7.8 t/ha would suggest a 2050 yield of 9.05 t/ha.

Ensuring that representative baseline measures are used to set targets is crucial, and we would encourage that these baseline targets are reviewed.

With dietary change, the CCC suggested the consumption of pulses as a replacement for meat protein.

However, growing peas and beans for human consumption is a high-risk enterprise in the UK due to pests and diseases, as well as weather.

Yields are highly variable in quantity and quality and, therefore, farmers would need incentivising to take on that level of risk to produce the output required.

The decarbonisation of machinery will have a significant impact on achieving these targets.

The electrification of farm machinery, particularly high-power units such as tractors, combines and materials handling equipment all with large torque needs, is currently restricted by battery capacity. The use of hydrogen potentially offers opportunity and the possibility of conversion of existing equipment.

The development of farming systems with the potential for much smaller and lighter equipment that can undertake automated field operations without the need for energy intense equipment also offers potential.

However, the wholesale move to automated systems is more challenging in the livestock and mixed farming sectors.

Embedded carbon in systems development also needs to be included where investment in steel and concrete is required, as well as ongoing energy use.

Potential to improve the efficient use of current resources and optimising operational efficiency with existing equipment still offers significant gains.

An example of this would be matching the appropriate power unit to the right amount of farm equipment. While primary cultivation using ploughs, cultivators, power harrows require a lot of torque and horsepower, many farm operations require much less.

However, the same extremely powerful tractors are used even when the equipment does not require it, resulting in the overuse of fuel and potential soil compaction. It is not simply a case of having two tractors, one big, one small, as there is massive embedded carbon in each tractor.

But there are many things that can be done at farm level to try and optimise the efficiency of that equipment. Even simply ensuring the tyre pressures are right for a particular operation will influence wheel slip and traction, and ensuring correct weight balance to optimise the use of four-wheel drive during field operations, can have significant effect.

The environmental targets set cannot be achieved without the willing co-operation of farmers.

Farmers will need clear public and private incentivisation and compensation due to the costs in implementation and the income foregone involved.

Farmers need some degree of clarity and certainty in order to plan ahead. They need to be confident of future returns if they are to invest in the technology required to boost productivity and to change farming systems.

The development of the Land Use Framework, 25-year Farming Roadmap, and Food Strategy will give some clarity to the future of farming in the UK, but farmers need to be closely involved in the development in order to ensure the Government fully understands the barriers to participation and change that farmers will face in making the necessary amendments to their businesses.