The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has expressed concerns that its ambitious plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in farming by 2040 might not be met, despite being set 10 years ahead of the UK’s national target.
Reaching net-zero means that no additional greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.
According to the NFU, insufficient investment in climate-friendly farming measures by the previous government has made the 2040 deadline difficult to achieve. However, the union emphasised that it remains committed to the goal.
The Soil Association has echoed these concerns, stating that achieving net-zero in agriculture would require “radical changes.”
The government said it was “committed to reducing emissions in the farming sector”, which accounts for about 12% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
These emissions primarily stem from nitrous oxide released from fertilisers and manure, methane from ruminant livestock, and to a lesser extent, carbon dioxide from energy and fuel use.
The NFU set its own target for England and Wales to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, while Scotland’s target is 2045. This goal has been part of a broader effort to promote sustainable farming practices, improve land management to enhance carbon sequestration, and increase the use of renewable energy on farms.
However, the NFU acknowledges that progress toward this goal has been slow, in part due to the lack of financial support for farmers to adopt climate-friendly practices.
In response to this challenge, the government has introduced post-Brexit environmental land management schemes (ELMs) to help farmers reduce emissions.
Yet, the NFU contends that these schemes have not received the necessary investment.
Tom Bradshaw, NFU president, said that he still believed farming was “very much part of the solution to decarbonising the UK economy” but that more investment was needed.
“Net zero is never going to be an ambition farmers can deliver alone,” he said.
He called for an increase in the UK’s agricultural budget from £3.5 billion to £5.6 billion to support farmers in producing food sustainably while contributing to nature conservation, energy security, and climate mitigation efforts.
Bradshaw’s appeal for increased funding coincides with concerns that the government might cut £100 million from its farming budget. Although both Defra and the Treasury have not commented on the potential cuts, the government has acknowledged a £358 million underspend in the agricultural budget over the past three years.
Environmental advocates, including Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, have warned that any cuts to the nature-friendly farming budget would jeopardise efforts to transition to net-zero farming.
Brendan Costelloe, the Soil Association’s policy director, said cuts would be a mistake “that would cost the environment, wildlife and the taxpayer more over the long-term”.
“British farming will not be able to reach net zero by 2040 without radical changes to how we produce and eat food”, he added.
The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the government’s independent advisory body, has already reported slow progress in reducing agricultural emissions and emphasised the need for “substantial acceleration” in the sector.
Despite some progress, with government figures showing a 23% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions and a 15% reduction in methane emissions between 1990 and 2022, more work remains. Carbon dioxide from farming made up only 2% of the UK’s total emissions in 2022, but the sector’s contribution to climate change remains significant.
Tom Lancaster, a land analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), stressed the urgency for government action, saying that stronger support is needed to help farmers cut emissions and adapt to climate change.
Without such efforts, the NFU’s 2040 target remains difficult to achieve.
A spokeswoman for Defra said the government was still “committed to reducing emissions in the farming sector and restoring confidence amongst farmers which is at a record low”.
“That is why we will restore stability and confidence by optimising our schemes and grants, to ensure we protect our food security, assist nature’s recovery and drive down emissions.
“But we will go further to support our farmers by protecting them from being undercut in trade deals, making the supply chain work more fairly and preventing shock rises in bills by switching on GB Energy,” she added.
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