The work has been conducted by Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to help sectors identify areas for improvement and opportunities available to facilitate positive change.
This is all with a view to helping farmers and growers reach net zero, optimise the unique opportunities to capture carbon, and potentially support other sectors in the drive to reducing the impact of climate change.
Innovation Network Lead for CHAP, Dr Harry Langford, said: “Farming and wider land management are fundamental to achieving a net zero economy and stabilising global temperatures.
“This report was instigated to provide a baseline and knowledge-base to support every farmer to make ambitious changes, and every innovator to develop ambitious solutions, to deliver a sustainable and resilient future for UK agriculture.
“The sooner we innovate and transition, the greater the benefits will be, and the greater the role UK businesses will have in leading the world’s transformation.”
To formulate the data in the report, an evidence base of existing greenhouse gas emission assessments for UK arable and horticultural crops was pooled. International data was also included for comparison purposes.
This was then evaluated to produce benchmark emissions for key crops, identifying the most important emission sources. Opportunities for reducing emission hotspots were also identified, and opportunities to increase carbon removals.
Finally, a brief overview of new technologies available to mitigate emissions were also identified.
Dr Jonathan Foot, Head of Environment & Resource Management at AHDB, said: “UK farming is facing a once in a generation shift towards a future where levy payers will need to manage both sustainable environmental and economic outcomes within their business.
“This report is the first step of many from AHDB, in ensuring levy payers have the independent and trusted information they need to begin their journey to net zero. Enabling our industry to lead sustainable change whilst continuing to produce safe, affordable, and accessible food for all.”
The report was collated for CHAP and AHDB by ADAS, and can be viewed here on the CHAP website.
