All dairy farmers to complete a GHG footprint

Member opportunities

• Help prepare for changing customer demands and support/secure access to markets focused on reducing their Scope 3 emissions.
• Drive efficiencies on farm.
• Ability to baseline and track progress.
• A large majority of dairy farmers have already completed a GHG audit and the Dairy Roadmap has a target for 100% of dairy farms in the UK to complete an audit.

Barriers

• Farms not in dedicated supply chains aren’t necessarily being encouraged/incentivised to complete a GHG footprint.
• Different GHG calculators provide different results which reduces trust in the metrics and make comparison harder.
• Uncertainty surrounding carbon stores and additional sequestration potential.

NFU asks

• Defra and industry support to help harmonise the tools, and provide advice on interpreting and benchmarking results to ensure they lead to good farming practice to reduce emissions over time.

Measures

• Roadmap to collate aggregated numbers of GHG footprints done on farm.

Member opportunities

• Gives impetus to work collaboratively across the supply chain.
• Ability and confidence to plan for the long term.
• Increases trust and shares risk across the supply chain.
  

Barriers

• Lack of trust and confidence to challenge the status quo.
• Lack of understanding of the new legislative powers.
• Poor farmer/processor cooperation.
• Geographical limitations such as, lack of choice when it comes to who purchases your milk.
  

NFU asks

• To support farmers to maximise on the new dairy legislation. Support and funding from Government to help drive producer collaboration.
• Work with the new ASCA (Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicators) office to ensure compliance across the supply chain.

Measures

• NFU annual confidence survey demonstrating increased confidence to invest in the farm business.
• Number of farmer representative bodies and producer organisations.
• Compliant contracts and investigation of breaches by the ASCA Office.
• Improved cooperation between farmers and processors.

Water and air quality

Member opportunities

• Saves water resources and improves circularity on farm.
• Field drainage maintains healthy soils, extends the grazing seasons and improves climate resilience.
• Fit for the future and significantly reduced risk of non-compliance.
• Enhanced nutrient management capability.
• Ability to cope with wetter seasons without risk of overspill.
• Reduction in pollution incidences.

Barriers

• Controlled drainage is a long-term infrastructure commitment problematic for tenants.
• Investment finance may be out of reach or low return on investment.
• Regulations may be in conflict with environmental delivery e.g. Habitats Directive works against investment in water quality.
• Planning constraints.
• Difficulty accessing schemes and grants.
• Lack of certainty around future regulation.
• Lack of availability and cost of equipment.

NFU asks

• Sector wide integrated water management plan.
• Footprinting clean/dirty water separation.
• Recognition of industry-led initiatives.
• Government support for improvements to water quality.
• A planning system which includes support for upgrades and modernisation to existing buildings and infrastructure, with clear planning guidance and streamlined process.
• Collaboration with industry to ensure the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme is fit for purpose, accessible and meets producers’ needs.
• Accessibility of tax incentives/grant funding to support investment in infrastructure. For example, to encourage a range of low carbon capital investments.

Measures

• Overall uptake of the new Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme.
• Utilisation of low emission spreading techniques.
• Reduction in reliance on manufactured fertiliser.
• Reduction in pollution incidences.
• Manure management plans.
• Number of new stores built.
• Lower number of dairy planning application refusals, as well as reduction in determinations periods for agricultural infrastructure projects.

Member opportunities

• Improve producer profitability and resource use efficiency.
• Improve energy efficiency.
• Potential to reduce costs.
• Improve animal health and genetics.
• Increased availability of metrics and data.
• Reduce environmental impact.

Barriers

• Concern over limited availability of actions for dairy farms within government schemes for the dairy sector.
• Loss of tenanted land through land being taken out of food production.
• Planning constraints and conflict between national and local authorities.
• Involves capital expenditure and significant, long-term investment.
• Cash flows are currently incredibly challenged, so working capital and re-investment funds may be limited.
• Rural businesses face significant problems with broadband and mobile connectivity.

NFU asks

• Accessibility of tax incentives/grant funding to support investment in infrastructure. For example, to enable faster, cheaper grid connections or encourage a range of low-carbon capital investment and activities which drive resilience on dairy farms.
• To deliver improved mobile and broadband connections in rural areas.
• Progress development of the LIS (Livestock Information Service) to allow better informed buying decisions.
• Support from the supply chain to improve access to financial assistance and applicability of lending criteria.

Measures

• Dairy Roadmap KPI development.
• Tracking productivity.
• Uptake of grants and schemes.
• Ability for dairy farmers to invest in their businesses and comply with new regulation.
• Environmental results.
• Farmer confidence survey.

Methane suppressing feed products

Member opportunities

• MSFPs (methane suppressing feed products) have the potential to be a useful tool to reduce farm emissions and Defra have identified them as a priority area.
• New supplements can be incorporated into feed to reduce methane emissions.
• Further research and technology could identify animals that have better feed efficiency and/or reduced emissions. This would reduce input costs on farm.
• If you have a slurry storage system on farm, the Slurry Infrastructure Grant is available to help manage methane emissions.

Barriers

• MSFPs can be emotive; many are banned in the UK and the full effects on the rumen are still unknown.
• MSFPs have an unknown cost tied to them and it is still unclear who would pay for their use.

NFU asks

• If Defra wishes to mandate MSFPs, they must provide financial incentive/support to farmers.
• Independent clarification on whether MSFPs are safe and effective to use, their long-term effectiveness and impact on animal health and welfare.
• R&D to identify maternal and terminal genetics for low-emission livestock should be prioritised under current funding, possibly through AHDB.

Measures

• Robust research trials into the safe use of MSFPs on farm.
• The development of KPI or use of genomic selection for low-emission cattle.
• ATP grants available for methane reporting/measuring equipment.

Member opportunities

• Green energy for use on-farm that could potentially be exported to the grid.
• Potential financial benefit to producers.
• Stability in energy price/availability.

Barriers

• Less support for renewables has reduced uptake in recent years.
• Some support mechanisms exclude renewables opportunities.
• Planning constraints.
• Lack of technical expertise and knowledge.
• Poor national grid connectivity.

NFU asks

• Easier planning process for renewables.
• Expanding existing offerings to include renewable energy production, for example, Slurry Infrastructure Grant could include energy production from slurry.
• Investment in infrastructure, or financial support, for upgrading to 3-phase supply.
• Tax incentives to invest in renewable energy.

Measures

• Green energy production.
• Uptake of the Farm Productivity grant.