Responding to the publication of the government’s Net Zero Strategy ahead of COP26, NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “British farmers have a huge part to play in the national contribution to a net zero economy. With our own industry aspiration of achieving net zero by 2040, this is work farmers really want to do and many are already well underway.
“Government support is crucial backing British farming to realise this ambition, so it’s great to see initiatives such as the Farming Investment Fund and Farming Innovation Programme which support investment in equipment and infrastructure. These will ultimately help boost sustainable food production and reduce agricultural emissions.
“An effective way to encourage further net zero action would be to include net zero incentives within the future Environmental Land Management scheme, as well as a greater focus on farming’s role in domestic bioenergy production.
“Net zero support can and must go hand in hand with food production. Otherwise, we will simply increase our reliance on food imports from countries which may not match our own sustainability credentials, at a time when the country needs to be boosting its self-sufficiency and strengthening its food security.”
