be sympathetic to the environment. One step many have taken, for example, is fuel efficiency for tractors and the use of ‘AdBlue’, but it is difficult to keep up with the scaling height of the financial costs of such equipment and the limited financial gains that can be made in agriculture.” In its report entitled ‘Recipe for Disaster: How Climate Change is Impacting British Fruit and Vegetables’, the Climate Coalition warned that British grown potatoes, vegetables and fruit are at risk, as growers struggle to cope with extreme and unpredictable weather, made more likely by climate change. The report highlighted the plight of apple growers, many of whom are based in Gloucestershire, who, the coalition claims in the report, lost around 25 per cent of their harvest in 2017, due to unexpectedly late frosts. And, the report claimed, the lack of water and extreme heat of 2018 was reported to have cut more than one inch off the size of the average chip. The report was commissioned by the Coalition as part of its ‘Show The Love’ campaign and was referred to by Mr Smith in his presentation at The Energy and Rural Business Show.
The Committee on Climate Change, an independent body that advises the government on building a low carbon economy and preparing for climate change, is pushing for a more strategic approach to land use. It purports that agriculture will be one of the UK’s largest generators of harmful emissions by 2050 and urges that a national co-ordinated approach is required and freeing up agricultural land for alternative uses could help achieve deep emissions reductions. Lord Deben, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), said: “Land is our most precious natural asset, but the way we use land in this country needs fundamental reform. We must ensure our use of land helps to reduce the emissions that are warming our atmosphere.We must also improve the resilience of the land to climate change. New legislation on agriculture and the environment provides us with a unique opportunity to reward land owners and farmers for actions such as tree planting, restoring peatlands and improving soil and water quality” l
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