Committee for the Environment - Inquiry into Climate Change Submissions
Ulster Farmers' Union Response to Northern Ireland Assembly Inquiry into Climate Change
27th February 2009
Introduction
Climate change is an important issue for agriculture and therefore would merit an inquiry on this aspect alone to fully consider the issues outlined in the terms of reference. Farm businesses in Northern Ireland need to adapt to a changing climate, potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions while continuing to produce competitive quality food for the local and global marketplace. The UFU therefore feels that the agricultural sector needs to be specifically considered in the climate change debate and this response focuses on this aspect.
Emissions from Agriculture & Research
The Climate Change Committee report that 7% of UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions are from agriculture mainly coming from the use of fertiliser, enteric fermentation and manure management (in NI the proportion is much higher). This includes about 39% of UK methane emissions, about 67% of nitrous oxide emissions and 1% of carbon dioxide emissions. Agriculture is therefore a contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly non-CO2 emissions.
It is recognised by the Committee on Climate Change that there is currently limited measurement of emissions at farm level. The UFU therefore feels that it is vital that more research is conducted in Northern Ireland to establish an accurate baseline before any decisions are taken on specific GHG emissions targets for the agricultural sector. We are aware that the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) are working on some advanced research on the overall greenhouse gas emissions from dairying systems however this needs to be further analysed.
The UFU suggest that more research is also required in Northern Ireland on the potential impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector, adaptation measures and the consequences of these in terms of GHG emissions, and also on realistic measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It is also important to recognise that while agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, it could also play a significant role in mitigation through acting as a carbon sink and with the potential to produce renewable energy therefore displacing CO 2 emissions produced by fossil fuels.
NI Commitments / Targets
Any proposals to identify Northern Ireland commitments or to set targets for local greenhouse gas emission reduction for the agricultural sector must be based on sound science, must be realistic and achievable. As it is not yet possible to produce accurate baseline figures at farm level, it is difficult to determine what actual effect potential actions on local farms will have on helping to meet overall targets. There are currently conflicting views on how agriculture should reduce emissions while continuing to produce quality food and therefore it is difficult to outline a route map for the sector until more work is carried out. E.g. a high yielding dairy cow will produce less methane per litre of milk but this is in a high input system. Others would propose that it there are less overall GHG emissions on a grass-based dairying system using a lower yielding cow but ultimately producing more methane per litre of milk. A further example of conflict is that farmers were advised to consider minimal-tillage / no-tillage systems to increase organic matter in soils and therefore sequester carbon however it has been identified that as these soils become anaerobic the NOx emissions are significantly increased therefore outweighing any benefits of carbon sequestration.
International Commitments
It is also important to recognise that discussions will take place in 2009 regarding a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. There are important points that need to be addressed to ensure that local agriculture is not penalised in any new agreement. The UFU believes that the Clean Development Mechanism within the Kyoto Protocol is currently flawed . The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) allows industrialized countries with a greenhouse gas reduction commitment to invest in projects that reduce emissions in developing countries as an alternative to more expensive emission reductions in their own countries . This means that industry and power stations in the developed world can purchase ‘carbon credits’ from farmers for example using anaerobic digesters in the developing world to off-set emissions however farmers in NI using the same technology cannot benefit from this mechanism. Countries like Brazil who are competing with NI on the beef, pork and chicken markets qualify for the CDM and are effectively receiving a subsidy via this mechanism from industry in the UK which allows them to sell produce at a much cheaper rate than local farmers in the local market place. It is vital that such arrangements are considered during the 2009 talks and addressed in the successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol. Industry in the developed world should be permitted to purchase carbon credits from UK farmers for carbon sequestration in land, forestry or through producing renewable energy.
It may also be easier for other countries to meet international targets due to differences in the techniques permitted. For example farmers in USA, Canada, Brazil and Argentina will be able to significantly reduce methane emissions from cattle by using growth promoters which are banned in the EU. These will allow animals to grow faster and therefore produce more milk or beef in a shorter period of time and consequently lower methane emissions. It is unfair to expect similar reductions in the EU where these substances are illegal and alternative practices to deliver such reductions would result in much more costly changes on farm.
Adapting to a changing climate
Agriculture is dependent on the climate and continuously adapts to any changes. UK farmers can and will adapt their farming practices, but it is important that they are assisted through adequate advice and information from Government. Climate change presents significant threats to farmers e.g. decreased water availability in some areas, weather extremes etc, but also opportunities e.g. new crops may be able to be grown. It is important that NI is ready for potential changes by carrying out the necessary research work and technology transfer sooner rather than later.
The UFU would also ask the Environment Committee to note that changes to current practices in order to cope with a changing climate could lead to increasing greenhouse gas emissions from farms. For example to cope with a drier summer more irrigation may be required resulting in increased emissions at an individual farm level. Wetter winters may result in livestock being housed for longer periods which could also increase overall emissions for the sector. There will also be a cost associated with such adaptation (see below).
Genetically modified (GM) crops may become more important in helping to adapt to climate changes and the consequences arising from such change such as increases in pest or invasive species. Current policies on GM crops may need to be developed to take account of this.
Renewable Energy
Government is also focused on renewable energy and its potential to mitigate excessive climate change and the UFU believes that this new direction creates many opportunities for local farmers. Northern Ireland farmers are well placed to produce renewable energy and the UFU has outlined this fully to the NI Assembly Agriculture Committee in their recent inquiry into renewables. It is important to highlight that the policies the Northern Ireland Government decides upon encourage the integration of this renewable energy into an existing energy network. This will require difficult but minor changes to the current supply chain structure to allow free competition for local markets that are currently exclusively supplied by external investors.
It is also important that the Northern Ireland Government opens strenuously protected markets such as electricity and fuel to local producers at financially viable prices. The previous NI Electricity Regulator reported that the producer of electricity should receive 80% of the retail value, this aspiration has not even come close for the average local renewable electricity supplier. If this figure could be achieved then direct financial support, required to install technologies, such as anaerobic digestion or small scale combined heat and power or even larger projects such as tidal power, would be supplied by commercial financial institutions without further ongoing government financial support.
In Germany, the government guaranteed the electricity supplied price from anaerobic digesters at approximately 20¢ per kilowatt hour. This promoted a very large number of installations because they became financially worthwhile – in Northern Ireland anaerobic digesters are currently not financially viable with the low electricity price offered resulting in gases from waste and organic manures that should be fuelling our local economy and displacing fossil fuels, currently adding to our greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore important to consider these aspects in conjunction with developing policies on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
Costs to Agriculture
The UFU would be concerned that policies put in place to meet emissions targets could result in rising costs for local farmers leading to higher food prices. If consumers are unwilling to chose the locally produced higher cost product this would have a severe impact on the agri-food sector. The sector in Northern Ireland could become uncompetitive in the global marketplace with the result that food production is moved elsewhere therefore simply moving the environmental problem with no global benefit. The consequences of this action would be considerable on the NI economy which relies heavily on the agri-food sector.
It is impossible to identify the costs associated with meeting obligations in the agricultural sector until there is better science and understanding of the size of the challenge for the sector. The costs are also very much dependent on the decisions taken by Government on how targets should be met. For example, it is suggested that lifestyle changes such as moving away from meat in diets will reduce methane emissions as the number of livestock will decrease however this would have catastrophic consequences for the agri-food sector and the local economy and there may be other environmental implications and costs by simply exporting the problem elsewhere and changing the way the countryside is managed. Reducing livestock numbers could may not reduce methane emissions e.g. if agricultural land lies dormant, vegetation will not be managed and may rot and produce methane during breakdown.
There is potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by changing farming practices and in some cases depending on what is suggested this could result in cost-savings for local farmers. For example, reducing fertiliser application where it is applied in excess and making better use of organic manures. NI is already being driven down this route since the introduction of the Nitrates Directive and therefore is already reducing GHG emissions indirectly via this water quality policy.
It is important that Government recognises that if more costly measures are imposed on local businesses such as forcing farmers to invest in new technologies, this would lead to increased costs for farm businesses which could affect the competitiveness of local farms as outlined above.
There are also likely to be increases in the costs to farm businesses in dealing with a changing climate e.g. increased need to spray crops due to increase in disease problems or a requirement to house livestock for longer periods due to wetter winters.
Rather than imposing costs, levies or taxes on farm businesses to force farms to reduce GHG emissions, the UFU would prefer an approach where farmers are rewarded for reducing emissions. The agriculture sector could be rewarded for their role in carbon sequestration into soils and vegetation, for changing practices to reduce emissions, for adopting new innovative technology or for producing heat and electricity from renewable sources. This could be advanced through trading schemes, incentivising the uptake of certain techniques and technologies and as outlined above making changes to the electricity supply chain.
The UFU would support the need for an effective mechanism to identify costs associated with the new climate change policies. As outlined above it is vital to properly assess the cost and benefits of any new climate change policies in NI but this cannot be looked at in isolation of other Government policies.
Retailers
UK retailers have already indicated a desire to move towards ‘carbon labelling’ of food products. The British Standards Institute have recently developed a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for a method for measuring the embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from goods and services at the request of DEFRA and the Carbon Trust . The PAS method for measuring GHG emissions of goods and services will enable businesses to effectively measure the climate change related impacts of their goods and services with a view to using this information to improve the climate change related performance of these.
Demands from the retailers are at present the biggest threat to local farmers and food processors on this issue requiring almost immediate action to label products and ultimately moving towards ‘lower carbon’ products to apparently satisfy ‘consumer demands’. It is reported that using this new standard, Brazilian beef is currently performing better than locally produced beef in terms of the ‘carbon footprint’, but this mechanism fails to take into account the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest, the use of GM crops and growth promoters in these systems and other environmental consequences. The UFU queries the ability of the consumer to interpret this information and would urge Government to consider the implications for local farming when the retailers go down this route. It is vital that Government moves in a joined-up approach to help rectify this position.
Government
It is vital that there is a joined up-approach within the Northern Ireland Executive and in partnership with the agri-food sector on all of the above. The Committee on Climate Change have outlined that any policy identified for reducing emissions from the agriculture sector cannot be taken in isolation as there may be implications for other policy objectives e.g. biodiversity, water quality, food production, energy, animal welfare etc therefore requiring all Government departments to work together. It is also important that discussions result in actions being taken to help the agri-food sector adapt to climate change and move towards achieving any targets in a managed way backed up with scientific and practical information and advice.
