Credible plans and actions urgently needed to decarbonise UK agriculture sector

Author: Hannah Oliver

On 18 July 2024, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published its most recent report on the UK’s progress in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions.

However, progress in reducing emissions from the UK agriculture and land use sectors has been slow and significant acceleration is urgently required to achieve the legally required 68% reduction compared to 1990 levels by 2030.

Good decarbonisation progress seen in some sectors, but lacking in others

On a national level, the UK’s decarbonisation efforts are having an impact. The UK stayed under emission caps set in its Third Carbon budget (2018 – 2022) and in 2023, there was a notable increase in the rate of emissions reductions compared to previous years. The CCC reports that this pace is roughly in line with the pace of change needed until 2030 to be on track to meet future net zero targets.

However, the bulk of decarbonisation in the UK so far has been provided by the energy supply and industry sectors through the phase out of coal and acceleration of renewables. Looking forwards, over 75% of the required emissions reductions need to come from other sectors where decarbonisation progress has been slower. Key sectors include agriculture and land, transport and buildings.

The CCC assessment shows that only a third of the emissions reductions required to achieve the UK’s 2030 target are currently covered by credible plans. This is important, as the 2030 target is the country’s first legally binding, net zero-aligned target, which sets out to achieve at least a 68% reduction compared to 1990 levels in UK emissions by 2030. This target represents the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement.

The CCC highlight that action is needed across all sectors to meet the 2030 target and urges that the new Government act fast to meet the UK’s commitments.

Accelerated emissions reductions required in agriculture and land use

The CCC assessed progress in 28 key indicators covering demand of high-carbon activities, uptake of low-carbon technologies, and underlying enablers of the transition to reach net zero by 2050. Of the 28 indicators, three are directly relevant to the UK agriculture and land use.

Livestock numbers (cattle and sheep) is one metric the CCC uses to measure demand for high-carbon activities. The number of livestock in the UK is reported to have fallen between 2017 and 2020 to levels that are below the CCC’s recommended pathway to net zero by 2050, but numbers have plateaued since. Therefore, the CCC reports that it is too early to say as to whether this indicator is on track.

New woodland creation and peatland restoration rates are both reported as being significantly off track. The rate of new woodland planting has been relatively static at around 13,000ha per year, considerably below Government target rates. Peatland restoration rates have increased to 12,700ha in 2023 but are also behind the Government’s own target, which is less ambitious than the CCC’s recommended rates.

Priority actions for agriculture and land use

To speed up progress, the CCC has made a short list of priority actions for agriculture and land use that need to be taken urgently.

A key CCC recommendation is that tree planting and peatland restoration must be accelerated. Under the CCC pathways to net zero, tree planting must be scaled up in the 2020s in order for abatement (carbon sequestration and storage) to be sufficient to meet later carbon budgets and reach net zero by 2050. This will require a doubling of current rates to get as close as possible to the targets of 30,000ha of new woodland creation per year by 2025 and 32,000ha of peatland restoration a year by 2026.

However, tree planting and peatland restoration are only some of the tools we have and will only be appropriate to some areas of land. Decarbonising the sector in parallel will be critical. This may include finding ways to improve productivity and efficiency of operations on-farm, improving the way we manage and store manure, utilising new technologies (e.g. methane inhibitors) and optimising fertiliser use.

Adaptation ambition lacking

This latest CCC report comes after the wettest 18 months on record in England. Farmers and land managers have been among the most affected with thousands of acres of farmland flooded, crop yields down and harvesting delayed, as well as knock-on impacts into this season and likely longer-term.

The impacts of this record rainfall highlight the urgent need to adapt to the physical risks of climate change, to avoid more costly and less effective adaptations further down the line. The CCC reports that currently the UK’s Third National Adaption programme (NAP3) lacks the ambition and pace to address the scale of climate risks we are already experiencing in the UK. NAP3 needs to be strengthened, with clear objectives and targets to embed adaptation across all sectors, the CCC recommend.

Advice and support

To achieve the UK’s net zero target by 2050, credible plans and action from all sectors are urgently required. UK agriculture and land sectors in a unique position as they can both reduce direct emissions, as well as sequester carbon and protect the carbon already stored on the land in soils and plants.

If you would like to find out more about the climate related services ADAS can provide to help your organisation take action, please contact:

• Sarah Wynn , Climate Change and Sustainability Managing Director [email protected] | Developing net zero strategies, undertaking GHG assessments and audits, improving on-farm productivity
• Charles Ffoulkes , Climate Change and Sustainability Associate Director [email protected] | Climate change risk assessments, adaptation strategy and action plans, building resilience to extreme weather events, TCFD/ARP reporting