A climate of change for farmers FARMING
TheNFU is calling for the government to invest more money in innovation and technology in farming, to support the work being done by farmers in Gloucestershire to tackle climate change. At the Energy and Rural Business Show in Telford, NFU deputy president Guy Smith said more could be done by the government to support farmers who are ready to play their part in adopting new technology and innovation. Mr Smith said: “Climate change is perhaps the greatest challenge of our time and farmers are already experiencing changes in the natural environment. “As we head into increasingly volatile times, both politically and climactic, farmers must have the tools and confidence to make their businesses more resilient so they can increase productivity, drive down their carbon footprint and make their mark against climate change. “As our recent confidence survey showed, investment is slowing because of Brexit uncertainty, meaning government support is going to be vital in the years ahead to enable investment and make these technologies more widely available. I hope to see this
approach reflected in the coming Agriculture Bill. “The NFU has recently announced its ambition for the farming industry to become net zero by 2040, and new technologies are going to be crucial in achieving this ambition.” The reaction from one group of farmers in the county was that they are already integrating innovation and new technology into their day to day work. One farmer said: “New tractors are already advanced in their fuel efficiency and waste products. Waste management is a priority and measures are taken to care for the environment and reduce environmental impacts - if anything, it’s used to improve the environment by naturally supporting feed growth for livestock. “Environmental considerations are given at every step of the business and are embedded into many of the assessments, such as that made in annual inspections by various bodies e.g. for awarding the farm assurance approval.” But they were willing to accept that such strategies are costly: “Every farm is different. Farmers try to keep up with machinery technology to improve efficiency and
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70 | February 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
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