Survey highlights farmers’ concerns
MANY farmers are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact, but more guidance is needed to drive big change and ease worry among producers, according to the findings of a new survey.
Nearly 400 farmers took part in the Mole Valley Farmers poll, which was designed to gauge farmer attitudes to changes in environmental policy and identify ways in which the Westcountry-based agricultural retailer can support producers into the future.
The results showed that 90% of respondents expressed concerns regarding how they would be paid for environmental management. And the level of worry was significantly higher among those that had signed up to the Government’s pilot schemes.
Despite these concerns, 35% had not started doing anything to lower their environmental impact and just 18% understood their farm’s carbon footprint.
Vet Andy Adler, of Molecare Vets, said: “The number of people who are working to understand or improve their carbon footprint is quite low. It just shows there needs to be greater clarity on what needs to be done and more incentive to act.”
This was highlighted by the fact just 11% had been asked by their buyer to lower their carbon footprint. The majority of those were dairy producers (93%) and over half of them were Arla suppliers. This corresponds with Arla’s requirement for its suppliers to undertake a Climate Check to help reduce the processor’s overall carbon footprint.
Selecting more sustainable feed was one of the main areas buyers were asking their producers to address.
Mr Adler added: “A large proportion of farmers wanted to reduce the environmental impact of their animals’ diets anyway and improving forage quality and switching from feeds with a high carbon footprint were seen as the most important ways to do that.”
This meant moving away from feeds such as soya and palm, which are associated with deforestation, and improving home-grown forage quality by thinking about cut timing, using an appropriate silage additive and targeted reseeding, for example.
Mr Adler said the 28% of farmer respondents that were working to improve environmental management were making good strides to do so. This included planting hedgerows, using solar panels and reducing fertiliser use.
He continued: “Thinking about where bought-in nitrogen is sourced from is a key consideration for the new Environmental Land Management scheme. It’s vital all farmers look at ways to use slurry and organic manure so as to reduce reliance on bagged fertiliser.
“With that in mind, slurry testing is an increasingly important tool so farmers can understand exactly what they’ve got on farm and balance it
with bought-in fertiliser accordingly. That said, 23% of farmers said they were not looking to slurry test in the future. Against this backdrop, and current high fertiliser prices, farmers will need to embrace these tools moving forward.”
To find out how the Mole Valley Farmers team can help you understand and reduce your farm’s carbon footprint, contact the Feed and Nutritionists Line on 01278 444829.