‘Business as usual’ not an option for farmers

Peter Melchett, Soil Association policy director, said current targets to cut agricultural carbon emissions by 6 per cent by 2020 were ‘not anywhere near ambitious enough’.

He told delegates at a major international conference on the future of farming yesterday (Thursday, November 13) food shortages would be ‘inevitable’ unless farmers could commit to reducing emissions by ‘at least 20 per cent’.

“We’ve got to make fundamental changes to food and farming if we’re going to meet the Government-agreed climate target of a cut in greenhouse gas emissions of 80 per cent by 2050,” he said, adding “business as usual is not an option.”

The Soil Association presented its full blueprint for a more sustainable approach to food and farming at the conference.

The report, Food Futures: Strategies for resilient food and farming, calls for a new cross-Governmental food strategy, and includes a series of recommendations for building resilience into our food systems including:

·        Raising the target for greenhouse gas cuts in agriculture from 6% to at least 20% by 2020, in line with other sectors

·        Increasing farm payments to those farmers who maximise carbon storage in the soil

·        Increasing research and development funding for sustainable farming from 11% to at least 50%

·        Promoting healthy diets - less meat and much more seasonal and organic food

·        Supporting public sector caterers to use locally-sourced and organic food

·        Encouraging market gardens, allotments and community ‘grow your own’ initiatives.

“We need a joined-up strategy that links changes in diet to changes in our food systems. We can’t make plans for what people might eat in future in a different box to how that food is produced,” said Mr Melchett.

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