NFU response – greenhouse gas removals call for evidence

We have submitted our response to the government's call for evidence, seeking views on policy mechanisms that could help the development of GGRs.

Summary

The NFU agrees with government’s approach to consider GGRs under two broad categories (nature-based and engineered GGRs), which closely reflect ‘Pillar 2’ and ‘Pillar 3’, respectively, of the NFU’s 2040 net zero ambition.

Many of these measures have potential for delivery through agriculture and the land-based sector.

The NFU strongly agrees with the need for GGRs, some of which will need to be demonstrated at scale during the 2020s in order to deploy more widely in the following decades.

Our view is that a broad portfolio of both nature-based and engineered GGRs will be required, and that there is failsafe merit in progressing the development of multiple policy measures across a range of technologies and scales.

NFU members can download our response in full: NFU consultation response – GGR call for evidence

This consultation closed on 26 February. 

BEIS opens a consultation calling for evidence to help inform the development of policy on GGRs.

This call for evidence aimed to strengthen the government’s evidence base on GGRs. It builds on the Vivid Economics study on greenhouse gas removal policy options, published by BEIS in 2019.

As part of this consultation, evidence and views were invited on:

• The viability of different GGRs in the UK – including technology readiness, cost, deployment potential, lifecycle emissions, and wider constraints to deployment.
• The role of government in addressing market barriers and stimulating the development and deployment of GGRs.
• Supporting policies needed to enable deployment and scale-up, such as a robust framework for monitoring, reporting and verification of negative emissions

NFU view

This is an extremely important matter for the NFU. Our net zero ambition is predicated upon our near-unique ability as a sector to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

This can be achieved either through nature-based farmland carbon storage in vegetation and soils, or as ‘engineered’ carbon removals through BECCUS (bioenergy with carbon capture, utilisation and storage). Other means include bio-based materials in construction and long-lived capital goods, or novel soil amendments like biochar and enhanced mineral weathering.

A variety of GGRs will be needed to achieve the UK’s net zero goal, balancing residual emissions from certain sectors that are hard to decarbonise entirely, including parts of industry, agriculture and aviation.

It will be necessary for nature-based approaches to be complemented by engineering-based GGRs, in particular various kinds of BECCUS and perhaps also DACCS (Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage).

However, many GGR methods are at an early stage of maturity and are not yet ready to be deployed at scale.