Farmers vow to help meet climate change targets

The farmers’ union yesterday committed to helping the Scottish Government meet its latest climate change targets.

Speaking after the publication of Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill, NFU Scotland president Andrew McCornick said farmers and crofters were on the front line in experiencing the impacts of climate change as shifting weather patterns directly impacted on their ability to produce food.

“Like other industries, agriculture is continually striving to produce more with less – thereby mitigating the effects of climate change by reducing its emission output, whilst helping to provide food security,” he said.

Mr McCornick said that farming was a biological process so zero emissions from production were not possible.

He added: “However, Scottish farmers and crofters are enthusiastically adopting new technology and knowledge to offset carbon emissions in a range of different ways. Just a few examples would be peatlands management, testing of soils, expansion in precision farming, and planting of agro-forestry – as well as uptake of schemes such as ‘Farming for a Better Climate’ and the Beef Efficiency Scheme.

“It is the view of NFUS that any carbon accounting scheme should give credit to these progressive practices, allowing for Scotland to be the most carbon efficient farming system in the world.”

Mr McCornick committed to working with Scottish Government to “develop and progress policies that reduce carbon emissions from farming and allow the industry to grow and become profitable.”