The National Sheep Association (NSA) has said that Red Tractor has “sideswiped” the sheep farming sector following the announcement of its Greener Farms Commitment (GFC).

The trade association for UK sheep farmers said it is “deeply concerned” that none of the detail of the commitment has been discussed with those directly impacted.

The NSA is calling for a “root and branch review” of the Red Tractor assurance scheme and its governance.

NSA chief executive, Phil Stocker, said: “NSA continues to support the concept of farm assurance as an open gate declaration of good practice.

“But we have long been frustrated that the scheme is losing its way and has become less relevant to sheep farmers with little acceptance of the unique nature of our sector.

“Most of the nation’s sheep farms are not big businesses with layers of management, but are family farms and single operators, many with little land of their own, and our sector still offers a valuable first step on the farming ladder for young new entrants.

“Becoming Red Tractor Assured presents a huge hurdle for many sheep farms, and for most of the sector’s routes to market it adds no value.”

Green farms commitment

NSA said the GFC takes Red Tractor into the realm of setting environmental policy in isolation rather than getting behind the key environmental and sustainable farming schemes being introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Following a meeting of the NSA English committee on Monday (October 16) NSA chair Kevin Harrison said:

“There is no doubt the feeling of the NSA English committee is one of a great deal of frustration and concern on how Red Tractor is forcing its vision of the greener farms commitment through without proper consultation, and without any understanding of the unique position sheep producers find themselves in. 

“It is quite telling that those responsible for the governance of the assurance scheme felt the need to work on this behind closed doors without even consulting their boards or technical advisory committees.”

Farming sector input

Stocker said that the recent announcement of the GFC with no practical input from the farming sector is “flawed and simply a step too far.”

“We do not accept this will remain a voluntary scheme and additionality like this comes with a cost that needs to be supported via market premiums or by full alignment with Defra’s Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship schemes”.

We are frustrated by the fact there has been no consideration for the hundreds of sheep farmers who operate as graziers on other people’s land and have no influence on wider land management decisions, or direct access to SFI and similar schemes, yet do a great job within the boundaries of their authority”.

“We are not prepared to put at risk the social and cultural makeup of our industry in this drive for more industrialisation, supposed professionalisation, and red tape.”

NSA said it is especially concerned this development comes as “one of a litany of ill-thought-out decisions” from Red Tractor.

“This latest proposal has resulted in NSA calling for a review of the governance and direction of Red Tractor,” Stocker said.

“NSA is fully prepared to continue to work with the scheme in a constructive way, on the beef and lamb board and the technical advisory committee, but that doesn’t stop us from calling the governance of the organisation into question. 

“Furthermore, NSA is not prepared to be part of any development advisory panel for the greener farms commitment on the basis that the whole concept needs to go back to the drawing board with full debate and discussion with the farming community.”

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The loss is averaged to be worth 5% of annual global agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) equivalent to $123 billion per year.

FAO released a report titled ‘The impact of disasters on agriculture and food security ‘ which has revealed an estimation for the effect of disasters on agriculture production.

It highlights the need for improving data on the impact of disasters on all subsectors of agriculture to create data systems that can serve as the base, where effective action can be constructed.

The report also indicates that losses related to major agricultural products are showing an increasing trend.

Loss of crops and livestock – FAO

The FAO report revealed the disasters on lower middle income countries affected 15% of their total GDP, inflicting the highest relative losses on them.

The disasters also affected small Island Developing States (SIDS), losing almost 7% of their GDP.

The loss of cereals in the last three decades, amounted to an average of 69 million tonnes per year. According to the report that loss is corresponding to the entire cereal production of France in 2021.

Fruits and vegetables and sugar crops underwent a near average loss of 40 million tonnes per year.

There was an average estimated loss of 16 million tonnes per year for meats, dairy products and eggs, which corresponded to the whole production of meats, dairy products and eggs in Mexico and India in 2021.

Director-General QU Dongyu of FAO stated: “Agriculture is one of the most highly exposed and vulnerable sectors in the context of disaster risk, given its profound dependence on natural resources and climate conditions.

“Recurrent disasters have the potential to erode gains in food security and undermine the sustainability of agri-food systems.”

He added that the publication, showcases a chance to address risks to the agricultural food systems.

It added that losses were higher in high-income countries, lower-middle-income countries and upper-middle-income countries, but low-income countries, and especially SIDS, suffered the highest incidence of losses in agricultural added value.

The most vulnerable farmers in the agri-food systems are smallholding farmers.

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Policy officer at Bioenery Europe, Giacomo Bozio Madé said that biogas has been “negelcted” by the EU, and that biogas and biomethane policy, specific to Ireland is “not all roses”.

He said that the main challenge was the approach of European institutions, adding that there was a “need for massive support” from MEPs.

In 2021 the European combined biogas and biomethane production amounted to 196 terawatt-hours (Twh) from 19,910 plants, according to the European Biogas Association (EBA).

Already there is €18 billion earmarked for investment in biomethane production.

This includes €4.1 billion to be used for 2023-2025, €12.4 billion for 2026-2030, and a further €1 billion with no time frame specified.

International climate mitigation

Deputy director of policy, association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) UK, Mark Sommerfield spoke about the UK’s biomass strategy.

He said the UK places sustainability as “top priority” with commitment to development of a cross-sectoral sustainability criteria.

Short-term goals in the UK include:

• To be compatible with current and emerging sustainability criteria based on latest evidence, considering a range of economic, social, and environmental impacts;
• Utilise existing infrastructure and planned investments to provide through carbon abatement existing and emerging policy frameworks;
• Be compliant with waste hierarchy principles.

Some long-term goals include:

• To be compatible with the future cross-sectoral sustainability framework and associated sector specific criteria and legislation;
• Contribute to carbon budget and net zero by providing greatest life cycle greenhouse gas emissions savings;
• Be compliant with waste hierarchy principles and provide additional co-benefits and/or circular economy benefits.

Senior policy advisor for Carbonfuture, Sebastian Manhart addressed how the United States (US) is tackling carbon removal through $35 million in cash awards.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) offers awards in the form of agreements from the federal government in four carbon dioxide removal pathways:

• Direct air capture with storage;
• Biomass with carbon removal and storage;
• Enhanced weathering and mineralisation;
• Planned or managed carbon sinks.

The prize asks applicants to develop carbon dioxide purchase agreements through a pilot project delivering third-party verified carbon dioxide removal.

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The other alternative is to use slatted systems with very fine gap widths.

Where storage is concerned, research has shown that reducing slurry temperatures will decrease ammonia emission levels.

But by far the biggest impact on ammonia emissions relates to the use of covers on above ground stores and lagoons.

Trial work in Denmark has shown that emission levels can be reduced by as much as 50%, if this step is taken.

Ammonia emission levels

Where the spreading of slurry is concerned, the Danish government is now strongly recommending the use of injection systems, in tandem with acidification, as opposed to splash plate and trailing shoe systems.

SEGES Innovation is the organisation delivering most of the farm-related research and development carried out in Denmark.

The body has access to all of the data on the performance generated by Denmark’s dairy farmers. It also works closely with pig farmers and feed companies in delivering the country’s Applied Pig Research Scheme.

It comprises both a product and transport standards.

Feed compounders regularly submit new rations to SEGES to independently assess their ability in driving performance and improved sustainability within the pig sectors.

All the results achieved from this work are put into the public domain, Agriland learned during a recent learning trip to the country.

Driving down carbon dioxide (CO2) emission levels on Danish farms has been identified by the government as the country works through a programme of action that will secure a net ‘carbon zero’ position by 2050.

The enhanced use of anaerobic digestion (AD) technologies has been identified in this context.

Carbon tax

Significantly, the Danish government has committed to the introduction of a carbon tax on the country’s farmers as a way of incentivising businesses to reduce their carbon footprints.

The exact timing of the tax’s introduction has yet to be agreed. However, the level of tax will be set at €100/t of carbon emitted.

Farmers in Denmark are not happy with the prospect of paying this levy.

Specifically, they want more official recognition given to the levels of CO2 sequestered by growing crops, which they actively manage.

It is envisaged that the introduction of a carbon tax will encourage ruminant livestock farmers in Denmark to switch to pig and crop production.

Agriculture currently accounts for 28% of all CO2 emissions generated in the country.

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60% of Denmark’s electricity is currently generated by a combination of renewable energy resources such as offshore and onshore wind turbines.

The plan is to boost this figure up to 100% between now and 2030. Green electricity is at the centre of Denmark’s renewable energy strategy for the future.

It will fully embrace the three energy streams that have made up the country’s overall energy policy up to this point – heat, transport and electricity generated from fossil fuels.

Into the future, large-scale heat pumps, driven by green electricity, will power district heating systems.

From a transport perspective, methanol will become the fuel of choice. It will be made from biogas, which has been hydrogenated, using hydrogen derived from the electrolysis of water.

Renewable energy in Denmark

Denmark has a clear target set to reach a carbon net zero position, where energy is concerned by 2050.

Agriland has joined members of the Irish Farm Buildings Association in Denmark on a study tour this week.

Earlier this week the association’s members received a presentation from  consultant, Anton Gammelgaard, a representative of the Widen Om Vind organisation.

He explained that onshore wind will make up a greater contribution within Denmark’s electricity mix into the future.

“The advantage of onshore turbines is their closer location to the final electricity consumer. However, it is much more difficult to get planning for these projects,” he said.

According to Gammelgaard, Denmark has been to the fore in developing wind turbine technology for the past 40 years.

He pointed out that a single 250m high, offshore turbine, with 100m blades can produce enough green electricity to power 10,000 homes over the period of a year.

“There is a also a strong commitment to make the manufacture, establishment and management of wind turbines a wholly recyclable process over the coming years,” he added.

Interconnectors

Significantly, Denmark recognises the need to work closely with neighbouring countries, where electricity generation is concerned.

Making this work will require the development of effective electricity interconnectors.

A case in point is the coming-on-stream of the Viking Link Interonnector between the UK and Denmark later this year.

Gammelgaard also confirmed that a high proportion of Denmark’s population now lives within 6km of a wind turbine.

“An in-depth survey has recently confirmed that the proximity of wind turbines has no detrimental impacts on human health,” he explained.

“This is specifically the case where high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and cardiovascular disease are concerned.

“Denmark will seek to integrate its energy policy over the coming years. The use of green electricity, sourced from both onshore and offshore wind turbines will be at the heart of this process,” he concluded.

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The plan is to double this figure over the next five years, at which time biogas will replace all the fossil-fuel-based natural gas, sourced from either the North Sea or Russia.

Recent years have seen a large number of AD operations developed in Denmark, all of which are located close to the country’s natural gas pipeline.

As a consequence, the biogas produced by the various AD operations can be easily pumped into the pipeline that was developed 40 years ago.

Anaerobic digestion

Torkild Birkemose, a department manager with Denmark’s SEGES Innovation organisation, updated members of the Irish Farm Buildings Association on the potential to further develop AD in Denmark, during a learning trip this week.

From a farming perspective, he cited a number of benefits linked to the adoption of the technology at farm level.

These include the development of green energy, the recycling of organic wastes and a reduction in the environmental impact of farm wastes.

Birkemose also highlighted the potential for farmers to use digestate that, potentially, has a higher fertiliser value than the original slurry and manures used in the AD process.

Significantly, the digestate is also free of pathogens and weed seeds.

Centralised AD operations in Denmark are currently sourcing slurries and animal manures from a number of farming businesses.

In addition to these products, a range of other feed stocks are used to produce biogas. These include waste from the food processing sector and straw.

Birkemose commented: “Large tonnages of straw are produced in Denmark. One third of this output is destined for animal bedding, and a similar proportion is included in cattle diets.

“This leaves the final one-third, which is normally chopped and incorporated back into the soil. It is this latter fraction which could be used as an AD feed stock.”

Birkemose confirmed that straw would have to have pre-treated in some way before it could be used in an AD operation.

“Farmers in Denmark are being paid for the slurries and manures they supply to AD operations. This is especially so, where deep litter is concerned,” he added.

“AD operators secure environmental certificates for the green biogas they produce.

“These have real value, a proportion of which can be passed down the line to those farmers supplying the manures and other AD feed stocks.”

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It routinely publishes monthly climate bulletins reporting on the changes observed in global surface air temperature, sea ice cover and hydrological variables.

All the reported findings are based on computer-generated analyses using billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather stations around the world.

September climate data

In terms of surface air temperature and sea surface temperature the latest report states that September 2023 was the warmest September on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 16.38°C.

This was 0.93°C above the 1991-2020 average for September and 0.5°C above the temperature of the previous warmest September, in 2020.

The month as a whole was around 1.75°C warmer than the September average for 1850-1900, the pre-industrial reference period.

The global temperature for January-September 2023 was 0.52°C higher than average, and 0.05°C higher than the equivalent period in the warmest calendar year (2016).

For January to September 2023, the global mean temperature for 2023 to date is 1.40°C higher than the preindustrial average (1850-1900). 

For Europe, September 2023 was the warmest September on record, at 2.51°C higher than the 1991-2020 average, and 1.1°C higher than 2020, the previous warmest September.  

The average sea surface temperature for September reached 20.92°C, the highest on record for September and the second highest across all months, behind August 2023.

El Nino conditions continued to develop over the equatorial eastern Pacific.

Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said: “The unprecedented temperatures for the time of year observed in September – following a record summer – have broken records by an extraordinary amount.

“This extreme month has pushed 2023 into the dubious honour of first place – on track to be the warmest year and around 1.4°C above pre-industrial average temperatures.

“Two months out from COP28 – the sense of urgency for ambitious climate action has never been more critical.”

September 2023 also saw wetter-than-average conditions along many parts of the western seaboard of Europe, including Ireland, the western Iberian Peninsula, northern Britain, and Scandinavia.

It was also wetter than average in Greece following extreme rainfall associated with storm Daniel; this event was also responsible for the devastating flooding in Libya, the report states.

Southern Brazil and southern Chile also experienced extreme precipitation events. 

Drier-than-average regions included parts of Europe, the south-eastern US, Mexico, central Asia, and Australia, where the driest September on record was recorded.

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The Pope said that fossil fuel phase-out “is not progressing at the necessary speed”.

COP28 will be held in Dubai in December, which is expected to see global negotiations on the phase-out of all fossil fuels, which Pope Francis described as “an urgent and necessary step” towards meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The overarching goal of the agreement is to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C, above pre-industrial levels and limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

World leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5° by the end of this century.

Pope Francis pointed towards oil and gas companies continuing to carry out new projects, and said that this was despite the International Energy Agency recently confirming that no new oil, gas, or coal fields are compatible with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°.

Global campaigns manager at Oil Change International, Mariam Kemple Hardy said that Pope Francis’ comments “adds to an increasingly loud chorus of voices” surrounding fossil fuels.

She said that some of the “world’s richest nations are risking our future” by the slow phase-out of fossil fuels.

“It is inexcusable for countries with high incomes and outsized historical responsibility for causing the climate crisis, to drill for more fossil fuels while claiming to be climate leaders and asking others to phase out their own fossil fuels,” she said.

“They must move first and fastest to phase out their production and pay their fair share to fund a just global energy transition,” Kemple Hardy said.

“Global leaders meeting in Dubai for COP28 must heed the Pope’s call to agree to a just and equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels and a transition to renewable energy, with adequate financial support for impacted countries. Unless it does so, COP28 will be a failure,” she said.

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The resilience project also aims to raise awareness among farmers of not only climate risks, but also business opportunities for farmers in Northern Ireland.

Adaption techniques include avoiding over tillage of seedbeds to protect topsoil and assessment of soil PH.

For adaption in hot weather conditions, it is recommended to provide enough ventilation in livestock housing,

Adapting management practices is also important to benefit from long growing seasons and warming temperatures, different sowing/harvesting dates, crop diversification and rotation are also recommended for adaption in farms.

As there is often a loss of biodiversity, it is recommended to introduce new species better suited to future climate conditions and which is more resilient to pests and diseases.

Agriculture in NI

One of Northern Ireland’s most important industries is agriculture. Over 26,000 active businesses, such as small farms, use 75% of the land in Northern Ireland.

According to NIEL, climate change is already being seen and experienced first hand amongst the agriculture sector.

The group has said that there are a number of key threats from climate change on the industry, emphasising that it is important for farm businesses to be able to adapt to the consequences of climate change.

These include droughts and incidences of new pests and diseases, increased flooding, loss of biodiversity which leads to poor animal health and affects crop health; this can lead to financial loss from poor food production.

Northern Ireland is expected to have “increased intensity in extreme weather events, wetter winters and hotter drier summers”.

The Rural Resilience Project puts a lot of focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions i.e., climate mitigation, but the project also acknowledges that climate adaption is just as important so that farm businesses can “actively prepare”.

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The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reject a proposal to install a solar farm and battery storage system on tenanted farmland in Old Malton, North Yorkshire.

It has also written to members of the North Yorkshire Strategic Planning Committee asking them to vote against the proposed application at a meeting on October 10.

44.52ha of the 52.86ha earmarked for the development are currently being farmed under a tenancy agreement.

The land has been farmed by the Sturdy family for decades and their tenancy is regulated under the terms of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986.

“It would be a travesty if this application was allowed to succeed,” TFA chief executive, George Dunn, said.

“Acceptance of this application would go against current public policy on food security, maintaining best and most versatile agricultural land, improving landscape and biodiversity, and protecting the resilience of the tenanted sector of agriculture.

“Notwithstanding the security of tenure referred to above and the legitimate expectation that Mr. and Mrs. Sturdy would have had to enjoy that security into the future, should the Fitzwilliam Trust Corporation prove successful in its attempt to gain planning consent for change of use under this application, Mr. and Mrs. Sturdy would face an incontestable notice to quit of the land subject to their tenancy,” he added.

Solar farm in Old Malton

The Sturdy family has been campaigning to “save” their tenanted land for months, primarily via their website and social media channels under the name ‘Save Old Malton Countryside’. These explain the situation and encourage people to submit objections.

The planning permission has 499 objections, and 42 supporting comments.

In their own objection document to Ryedale District Council, the family said:

“The application for the new solar farm and battery storage, if permitted, will have life-long and life-changing consequences for us and our children,” they said in their objection document to the proposal.

“My grandfather, father and myself have farmed the land at Eden Farm for almost 70 years. In 1971, the year in which I was born, my father, John Sturdy, took on an Agricultural Holdings Act Tenancy with FTC,” Robert Sturdy said.

“This tenancy is a three generation tenancy of which I am the second generation. It is a tenancy for my lifetime and for my children’s, should either of them wish to pursue a career in farming.

“I would not want all this hard work and investment, which has seen very significant improvements to the farm and the environment, to be lost as a result of the application.

“I am a long-standing protected tenant and should be protected from the consequences of a non-agricultural planning permission particularly where the ability to obtain planning permission is much easier for solar development than other forms of development, as it is viewed as a ‘temporary’ development in planning terms.”

Harmony Energy submitted a planning application for a solar farm and battery energy storage system to Ryedale District Council on February 26, 2023.

On its website, the company has said: “We recognise the financial impact the development would have on the tenant.

“This is why we are contributing half the annual compensation package being made available – a substantial figure which is payable annually index-linked for 40 years. This is multiple times the value of statutory compensation.”

In a statement to Agriland, it added that the proposed development cannot be located elsewhere, “as for large-scale solar farms to connect to the national grid, there must be a technically and financially viable connection available, with grid capacity and Northern Powergrid having been secured and a nearby substation being the only suitable local one”.

“Renewable energy is critical in creating a sustainable future for everyone, ensuring the future security of the UK’s energy supply, whilst helping to meet global targets to reduce emissions and mitigate climate change,” it added.

“They aren’t only beneficial for the environment, but the more unsubsidised developments we can create, the more they will help reduce energy bills for all, at a time when energy bills have increased dramatically primarily due to increasing fossil fuel costs.

“We are proud to be a Yorkshire-based energy firm, delivering renewable energy, providing benefits and supporting high-skilled jobs. These projects will create further employment and assist the UK’s net zero and energy security ambitions.”

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A dairy and turkey farmer has been ordered to pay £2,120 after slurry entered a brook near Swindon, the Environment Agency has said.

68-year-old Andrew Freeston of Smith’s Farm, Bushton, near Swindon, pleaded guilty when he appeared before Swindon Magistrates on Tuesday (September 26).

He was charged with causing pollution to enter the Cowage Brook between November 2020 and January 2021.

Freeston was ordered to pay a fine of £1,018, a £102 surcharge, and £1,000 in costs.

Senior environment officer, Jo Masters, said: “Mr Freeston showed a very poor attitude to our concerns over slurry entering a watercourse and repeatedly failed to address the problem.

“When pollution is identified, we expect polluters to take reports seriously, to both stop, and to remediate the issue.

“We strive to work with farmers to prevent pollution through advice and guidance, but in this case, he chose not to engage with officers which prolonged the effects of the pollution and resulted in enforcement action being taken by the Environment Agency.”

Pollution

The court heard that in November 2020, following a report of pollution entering the Cowage Brook, an officer from the Environment Agency attended Smith’s Farm. 

The source of pollution was found to be a pipe discharging slurry to the watercourse.

The discharge had caused elevated ammonia in the watercourse, reduced biochemical oxygen demand, and extensive sewage fungus growth, the Environment Agency said.

Following the initial visit, Freeston, a Wiltshire council tenant farmer at Smith’s Farm for 43 years, cleaned out the ditch but did not take any action to find or stop the source of the pollution.

Officers returned to the site in December 2020 and found the watercourse was pollution was occurring again.

Despite officers informing Freeston of the serious pollution, he refused to engage with officers on site to look at the issue or take any action to remediate it, the Environment Agency said.

During a third visit in January 2021, Freeston had finally taken action and traced the source of the pollution to a yard drain which allowed slurry to discharge directly to the watercourse.

The following week a bund was constructed to protect the clean water drain and prevent further pollution.

The magistrates said that “any discharge from a farm is a serious matter”, according to the Environment Agency.

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The aim of the MSC is to improve the efficiency and sustainability of dairy farm operations.

The ecosystem will be open for partners to join, with the objective of providing farmers with data needed for an holistic view of the dairy operations.

Milk Sustainability Center

Dairy farmers will be able to use the MSC to monitor nutrient use efficiency (NUE) for nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), for their entire farm, specific fields, or their herd.

The MSC will also provide data to allow dairy farmers to compare their performance to other dairy operations and identify key areas for improvement.

The MSC aims to serve dairy farmers independent of farm machinery brands and herd management software.

Dave Chipak, director, dairy and livestock production systems at John Deere said: “Dairy farming is perhaps the most complex agriculture business today with no system integration between crop and animal performance​.

“Dairy farmers often use five to seven different, non-connected software solutions to run their business.

“The MSC will enable dairy farmers to calculate, benchmark, simulate, and optimise NUE and CO2e for sustainable and profitable decision-making.”

After farmer authorisation, data from DeLaval Plus and John Deere Operations Center will be automatically pulled into the MSC.

Manual data input will be reduced, ensuring high data quality, and ultimately helping an entire farm system – fields, cows, employees, advisors, machines, and other assets – work efficiently together, according to the companies.

MSC is cloud-based for desktop or mobile devices, built and powered by Dairy Data Warehouse BV (DDW), a Dutch company in operation for the last 10 years offering data solutions for sustainable dairy.

Dairy farmers, consultants, dealers, and other partners can also be invited to view their data in MSC.

Also commenting on the partnership Lars Bergmann, executive vice-president of digital services at DeLaval said: “Dairy farmers are seeking ways to decrease their environmental footprint and improve sustainability.

“The MSC will help dairy farmers achieve their goals and address the growing needs of dairy processors, retailers, government, and ultimately, consumers​.”

The launch of the John Deere / DeLaval partnership will be a key focus in the John Deere booth at the AGRITECHNICA 2023 trade show, from November 12-18, in Hanover, Germany.

The initial version of MSC will be released in summer 2024 in North America and selected European Union countries and will be free of charge.

A premium version with extended capabilities will be released at a later date.

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The Met Office has said that Storm Agnes will “rapidly intensify” over the next 18 hours as it moves towards the UK.

It is set to impact much the UK tomorrow (Wednesday, September 27) and into Thursday (September 28).

The strongest winds are expected to affect Northern Ireland, southwest Scotland, west and northwest Wales, Cumbria and Lancashire, where some places inland may see gusts of 60mph and 65-75mph over hills and around coasts.

“These are most likely during the second half of Wednesday afternoon and through the evening,” Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said.

Warnings in place during Storm Agnes

A Status Yellow wind warning has been issued for the majority the UK, with a rain warning also in place for parts of Scotland. Areas southwest of Oxford, including London through to Brighton, are unaffected by the warning.

The wind warning highlights the chance of some damage to buildings from strong winds, as well as the possibility of power cuts for some. Transport disruption is also likely, with some roads and bridges likely to close.  

Injuries are also possible from flying debris and the Met Office has warned of potential danger to life.

The rain warning, which applies to areas in Scotland such as Dumfries, Wigtown, Dalmellington, Greenock and Pitlochry, highlights the chance of flooding in a few places – as well as travel disruption.

David Morgan, flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said:

“Flooding impacts are possible, particularly in south west and central areas. Along the south west coast, we may see wave overtopping and flooding of causeways, promenades, properties and roads. Impacts are expected to be localised and around high tide. We may also see minor flooding impacts from surface water and rivers.

“Flood Alerts and Warnings are being issued as necessary and we continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7.

“People living and working in affected areas are advised to take care if travelling and consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared and to stay safe.

“We are also encouraging people to sign up to Floodline to receive free updates for where they live, or travel through, directly to their phone. People can also check our Flood Updates for all the latest information and the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead.”

Steve Basterfield, national network manager at National Highways, said: “With the stormy weather being forecast, it is important to plan ahead for your journey, and if weather conditions become challenging, adjust your driving behaviour and take extra care.”

Storm Agnes is the first named storm in the storm-naming season, which runs from September to August the following year.

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A study conducted by the University of Oxford has revealed that sewage discharge into rivers has a greater impact on water quality than agricultural land use.

The university released the paper, ‘Early detection and environmental drivers of sewage fungus outbreaks in rivers‘, ahead of World Rivers Day tomorrow (September 24).

The University of Oxford said the main threat to the UK’s rivers is the release of treated waste water into them by water companies, and untreated waste water during heavy rainfalls (storm overflow).

As well as ecological consequences, the University of Oxford said this poses “serious threats” for human wellbeing if the water is then used for drinking, recreational or agricultural purposes.

Research

Researchers from the University of Oxford’s department of biology investigated the effects of three different pollution sources (treated sewage discharge, agriculture, and urban run-off) on different aspects of river systems.

The group tested four rivers in England, both up- and downstream of sewage discharge, over three different months.

The results demonstrated that treated sewage discharge was the best predictor of high nutrient levels, bottom-dwelling algae, and sewage fungus abundance, regardless of the type of land use (agriculture or urban) in the surrounding area.

Senior author of the study, Dr. Michelle Jackson, said: ‘There is ongoing debate about the cause of the poor ecological state of many rivers in the UK because it is difficult to disentangle different pollution sources.

“Here, we show that even treated sewage appears to have a stronger influence on river communities than pollution from the surrounding land.

“This important information should be used to prioritise the management and conservation of our rivers moving forward.”

Dr. Dania Albini of the University of Oxford’s department of biology, and lead author of the study, said the study highlights the “disproportionate impact” that sewage discharge has on river quality, presenting an urgent need for an action plan targeting this.

“Improvements to waste water plants should be implemented along with more regulations,” she said.

“These efforts are crucial in safeguarding the integrity and safety of our rivers — fundamental elements of both ecosystems and human wellbeing.”

Water pollution

The University of Oxford said nutrients exacerbate the decline of waterways by promoting the growth of harmful species and deteriorating others.

In terms of agricultural pollution, the university said only one measurement in its study was best predicted by agricultural land use.

This was through the abundance of the sensitive insect groups of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies.

“This suggests that water quality and river communities are generally more threatened by treated sewage discharge than pollution from the surrounding catchment, but agricultural pollution also needs to be kept in check,” the university said.

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The Environment Agency has recommended that farmers in Devon and Cornwall consider growing crops other than maize in the future.

It believes these areas are at a high risk of run-off during bad weather – which could become the norm as a result of climate change.

High-risk crops, grown in high-risk locations it said, increase the likelihood of pollution incidents from soil erosion and run-off.

“In some areas it may be better not to grow maize in the first place because the soil and location are at very high risk of runoff during bad weather, causing localised flooding and pollution,” Devon and Cornwall project manager James Wimpress said.

“These areas include steep slopes on sandy soils that are vulnerable to soil loss and erosion during heavy rainfall, and wet clay soils with poor drainage where it is difficult to harvest maize without causing serious compaction and damage to the soil.”

This harvest the agency is asking farmers to loosen the soil after harvest if compaction has occurred, with particular attention paid to compacted headlands and wheel ruts acting as pathways.

A wetter than normal summer has meant that maize crops were late maturing and are therefore being harvested when soils are wet due to autumnal rainfall.

Tractors and loaded trailers can cause soil compaction when harvesting in these conditions it said, potentially leading to an increase in run off which could result in local flooding and pollution of nearby watercourses.

“Harvesting later than October 1, can be risky as soils may be soft following rainfall and prone to compaction. This can lead to increased runoff over the winter,” Wimpress said.

“We recognise that there has been great improvement with managing maize in recent years, including cover cropping and managing compaction, but we would encourage farmers to be vigilant with late harvests, particularly if the weather is wet.”

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Sainsbury’s has launched a new Aberdeen Angus beef range which will offer a 25% lower carbon footprint compared to industry standard.

The supermarket chain has launched the new ‘Taste the Difference‘ Aberdeen Angus range with the aim of changing how beef is produced in the UK.

Customers will be able to find the Taste the Difference Aberdeen Angus beef range in new packaging in over 60 stores from today (Monday, September 18), with a nationwide expansion expected.

Sainsbury’s said it developed the range by bringing together its dairy and beef supply chains, reducing carbon through a combination of “superior cattle breeding and animal management”.

The Taste the Difference range will initially feature 16 “customer favourites”, including 12% and 5% fat mince, 30-day rib eye steak and a 30-day beef roasting joint.

Director of agriculture, aquaculture and horticulture at Sainsbury’s, Gavin Hodgson, said: “More customers than ever want high quality beef with a lower carbon footprint and that’s why we’ve invested many years of research and development into transforming how we produce it.

“Our updated lower carbon premium beef range not only tastes great but is also positive news for our farmers too, who will benefit from more security and stability, supporting the future growth of UK agriculture.

“We’re excited about the possibilities this move could hold for the future of farming in the UK.”

Carbon footprint

Sainsbury’s said measures such as strictly monitored feed and living conditions mean that healthy calves are raised in the most efficient way possible, needing less time and energy to grow, in turn emitting fewer harmful gases.

As well as being better for the planet, Sainsbury’s said it has made sure the new process will offer benefits for farmers with “fixed, forward pricing” providing greater security and stability.

The retailer said it also equips farms with advanced free-of-charge technology which generates in-depth data to help them make better farm management decisions.

Director of corporate responsibility and sustainability at Sainsbury’s, Ruth Cranston, said: “We know that more customers are wanting to make responsible choices when buying food so we sought to find a solution which gave them high quality, great tasting beef which is lower carbon.

“By creating 25% lower carbon emissions, this launch is another step forward in Sainsbury’s ambition to become net zero across its own operations by 2035, and value chain by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C.

“This launch also shows what can be achieved through genuine collaboration with farmers and suppliers.”

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The first people in the UK to undertake an Honours Bachelor’s degree in regenerative agriculture have graduated.

The degree was launched by Writtle University College in 2020.

The college said that the regenerative agriculture course responds to the “importance and immediacy” of the challenges facing global agriculture.

Dr Anya Perera of Writtle University College congratulated the graduates and labelled them as the “thought-leaders of the future”.

“They take a progressive approach to farming production systems that encompasses sustainable practice and responds to political, economic and scientific change,” she said.

The graduates were joined by guests, family, friends and honorary degree recipients, including organic growing advocate Kuda Chimbudzi.

Famous farmer and television presenter Jimmy Doherty took part in the ceremony, in his role as the Writtle University College’s chancellor and he also congratulated the class of 2023 on their achievements.

“The world needs people like you – graduates who are ready to shape our future. Whichever path you choose to take, I have no doubt you will continue to make the world a better place, both personally and professionally,” he said.

Regenerative agriculture

The college said regenerative agriculture students completed their course with an understanding of farm-level practices, the key principles of sustainability, the need for resilient food chains and the importance of mitigating the impact of climate change.

A number of graduates received trophies honouring outstanding individual achievements.

Henry Etherington was presented with the Essex Agricultural Society’s Award for the Best Agricultural Student and the Worshipful Company of Farmers’ Award for the Best Dissertation in the Agricultural Department.

Commenting on his awards, Henry Etherington said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to all my fellow graduates and express my gratitude to the agricultural and wider land-based studies team at Writtle University College.

“This team has successfully designed a course that addresses the pressing issues in national and global agriculture, both present and future.

“My experiences at Writtle have profoundly influenced my perspective on the agricultural industry and will undoubtedly continue to shape the decisions I make, as well as those of my fellow graduates, throughout our careers.”

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141 hen harrier chicks have fledged in England this year, making 2023 the seventh year in a row that numbers have increased.

The statistics were released today (Saturday, September 16) by Natural England and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

In 2023, 54 nests were recorded (up from 49 last year), of which 36 were successful (34 last year). This represents an average of 3.9 chicks per successful nest. 

Northumberland had the highest number of nesting attempts with 17 in total, and the highest increase on the year before where nine nests were recorded.

The Yorkshire Dales and Nidderdale area also remained a strong hold, Natural England said, with 15 nests recorded in 2023.  

The increase in hen harrier chicks successfully fledging means that 2023 is another record year, Natural England said, following 119 chicks recorded from nests in County Durham, Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland and Yorkshire in 2022. 

There are now more hen harriers in England since they were lost as a breeding species around 200 years ago.

Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, said:  “The continuing year on year increase in the number of hen harriers fledging from English nests is fantastic to see, and shows how through partnership work it is possible to reverse nature’s decline, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

“The encouraging numbers we see again this year are testament to the volunteers, landowners and partner organisations who have worked so hard to support and monitor these birds. 

“Today’s news is, however, overshadowed by continuing illegal persecution, which despite all the good practice among many landowners still stubbornly persists.”

Juniper said much more needs to be done to protect these birds and Natural England remains committed to stamping out the “despicable killing” of them.

“We will continue to work hard, improving monitoring and conservation management to achieve long term recovery,” he said.

Brood-managed chicks

The fledglings recorded this year includes 24 brood-managed chicks, taken from six nests on grouse moors and reared to fledging in captivity.

The brood management programme is an experiment to see if removing hen harrier chicks from grouse moors for rearing in captivity for later release reduces conflict with game shooting and reduces persecution sufficiently to allow populations to recover.

Natural England said it is committed to a full scientific investigation of this technique and the brood management trial has recently been extended to further understand the impact this has had on their conservation. 

Despite this progress, Natural England said the illegal killing of birds of prey remains a “serious and ongoing issue” which it is working alongside the police and National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle. 

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Losses from the nitrogen cycle “cannot be eliminated” so the livestock sector needs to minimise them and hold more nitrogen in the system, according to a new report.

But in order to do that there is a “critical need” for farmers to be able to measure nitrogen on-farm, particularly in soils, and to be able to identify and monitor where nitrogen losses occur.

That, is according to the UK’s Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock, (CIEL) which has just published an in depth report on Why Nitrogen Matters in Livestock Production .

According to Dr. Mark Young, innovation specialist at CIEL, nitrogen is essential for agriculture.

“It’s the key element needed for protein production, captured by microbes living in soil, in the roots of plants and colonising the gut of sheep and cattle.

“However, while some agricultural practices cause excessive loss of nitrogen to the atmosphere and waterways, others can capture nitrogen,” Dr Young said.

He believes that the livestock sector now “needs to exploit the opportunity to minimise losses and hold more nitrogen in the system”.

“This will make farming both more efficient and reduce losses of nitrogen as nitrous oxide (a greenhouse gas), ammonia emissions, and nitrate through leaching or run-off,” Dr. Young added.

The new CIEL report closely examines the natural nitrogen cycle and details how agricultural practices shape the cycle and also looks at opportunities to improve nitrogen use.

It also highlights why animal manures “should not be considered as waste” because they can be used to improve soil health and fertility, replacing artificial N fertiliser to a varying extent.

“Appropriate management to reduce N losses from manure will increase the capacity to do this. Use of manures in this way reduces the carbon footprint costs associated with the production and application of artificial fertiliser,” the report states.

According to Dr. Young farmers can make better use of nitrogen by managing both the land and on farm nitrogen resources such as soil, manures and fertilisers.

“In addition to this, developing on-farm technologies which will help to capture or hold nitrogen, for example in livestock manure, and to make this available for enhancing growth of feed crops will also help to reduce nitrogen losses in the sector,” he said.

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48-year-old Thomas Joseph Curran, 42-year-old Gerald Curran and 37-year-old Barry Curran of Blackwatertown Road, Armagh, had previously entered guilty pleas to waste offences.

They each received a 25-month custodial sentences suspended for two years at Armagh Crown Court sitting in Newry.

The investigation, carried out by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), uncovered “significant fraudulent offending” regarding the operation of an unlicensed waste business by the defendants.

The case relates to the unauthorised deposit, keeping, treating and disposal of 6836.395t of controlled waste at a site located at Blackwatertown Road, Armagh, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said.

During an inspection of the site in October 2017, NIEA officers discovered a large amount of mixed waste in the yard adjacent to the dwelling house and stacked into the large sheds located on the site.

In addition, baled waste was observed in a shed next to the office, and numerous pieces of waste processing equipment including material handlers, balers, shredders, skips, ejector trailers and a trommel waste sorting machine were located on the site.

Checks revealed that the site had been operating without a waste licence since 2014.

A Proceeds of Crime investigation is ongoing, DAERA said.

The various parties were sentenced under Article 4(1)(b) of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

Barry Curran also pleaded guilty to a fraud offence for which he received a concurrent custodial sentence of 25 months suspended for 2 years.

Three further charges against the defendants were left on the books, meaning they can be reactivated at a later state subject to permission from the Crown Court of the Court of Appeal.

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The Scottish government has today (Thursday, September 7) launched a consultation asking for views on its plans to accelerate nature restoration and regeneration in the country.

After the ‘Tackling the Nature Emergency: Consultation on Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity‘ closes on December 14, 2023, the government said targets for nature recovery could be put into law in line with those for climate change.

The consultation sets out the key elements of Scotland’s overall Biodiversity Framework, including:

• Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy – published in draft form in December 2022 – setting out goals of halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and reversing declines by 2045;
• The first 5-year Delivery Plan to implement this strategy;
• A set of principles to guide the delivery of key commitments to conserve 30% of land for nature by 2030 and expand ‘nature networks’ across Scotland;
• Proposals for the upcoming Natural Environment Bill, including the introduction of statutory nature recovery targets which will be binding on government in the same way that climate change targets require ministers work towards meeting net zero targets; and
• Changes to National Parks legislation to strengthen the leadership role of National Parks in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises.

Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater said: “We are at a tipping point for nature – it is in decline across the globe with around 1 million species already facing extinction.

“In Scotland alone, we have seen a 24% decline in abundance of wildlife since 1990; if we don’t take urgent action, nature in Scotland will continue to decline and important species will be lost forever.

“This week we have published our programme for government which recognises that the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are global challenges of unprecedented proportions.”

Slater said restoring nature will reduce carbon emissions, and tackling the climate crisis is essential if Scotland is aiming to prevent extinctions.

“A nature-positive Scotland creates great opportunities that will benefit people and communities throughout the country and particularly in rural areas,” she said.

“We want to work with everyone – with local government, local communities, organisations and environmental experts – to protect our precious natural environment for future generations.

“We are especially keen to hear the views of the stewards of our land and seas – farmers, gamekeepers and fishers who have the knowledge and skills to drive the transformation that is needed.”

Consultation and farmers

Director of policy for the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFU Scotland), Jonnie Hall, said: “As with climate challenges, active farming and crofting are critical to this nation’s biodiversity ambitions.

“With more than 70% of Scotland’s land under agricultural management, farmers and crofters have a unique role in the stewardship of our habitats and wildlife.”

Hall said rural Scotland is a working landscape, with food production and economic activity being driven by sustainable land management. 

“For nature to flourish, we need to enable those who manage our land to deliver multiple outcomes,” he said.

“Enhancing our natural environment is clearly in the public interest and will deliver an array of public goods. But that cannot be sustained at private cost. 

“We have the clear opportunity to ensure our agricultural landscapes deliver the right outcomes for food production, climate, biodiversity and rural communities and a balanced approach to delivering on all four fronts is critical.”

Hall said the union will encourage Scottish farmers and crofters to participate in the consultation as it offers an opportunity to “shine a light on all the great work already being undertaken on farms and crofts” as well drilling down on the full range of reasons that lie behind any biodiversity loss.

Director of the Scottish branch of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Anne McCall, said the consultation is welcome as it will aid in the delivering of change for nature and people.

“We welcome the Scottish government’s ambition to drive forward and scale up action for nature – action which evidence tells us is needed now more than ever,” she said.

“We are at a crossroads, but this consultation gives me hope as it kickstarts a process that is the biggest opportunity for nature in Scotland that I’ve seen in my 25-years working in conservation.

“This is not just a big moment for nature, it’s important for every person in Scotland. Nature underpins our health, wellbeing, the air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat and much of our economy. Restoring nature will deliver many benefits including creating new jobs.”

McCall said RSPB will consider the government’s proposals in detail and “will no doubt have suggestions”.

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Global sea surface temperatures are at unprecedented highs for the third consecutive month and Antarctic sea ice extent remains at a record low for the time of year, the WMO said.

Last month saw the hottest August on record by a “large margin” and the second hottest month ever after July 2023, the WMO said today (Wednesday, September 6).

It is estimated that August 2023 was around 1.5° warmer than the pre-industrial average for 1850-1900, the WMO said. The January-August period has been the second warmest after 2016.

At 20.98°, August saw the highest global monthly average sea surface temperature on record across all months. Previous record temperatures were exceeded every day last month.

Antarctic sea ice extent remained at a record low for this time of year at 12% below average. This is “by far” the largest negative anomaly for August since satellite observations began in the 1970s.

Arctic sea ice extent was 10% below average last month, however it remained well above the record minimum of August 2012, according to the WMO.

Changing climate

Difficult weather conditions and heavy rainfall on the island of Ireland significantly impacted farmers in the past months, with the wettest July ever recorded by Met Éireann and the UK Met Office.

Over the last three decades, Ireland’s climate has become wetter and warmer, with higher mean temperatures across the country for all seasons and a 7% increase in annual average rainfall.

“The northern hemisphere just had a summer of extremes – with repeated heatwaves fuelling devastating wildfires, harming health, disrupting daily lives and wreaking a lasting toll on the environment.

“In the southern hemisphere Antarctic sea ice extent was literally off the charts, and the global sea surface temperature was once again at a new record.

“It is worth noting that this is happening before we see the full warming impact of the El Nino event, which typically plays out in the second year after it develops,” WMO secretary-general Prof. Petteri Taalas said.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, according to the WMO.

Earlier this year Prof. Taalas said that the development of an El Nino will most likely lead to a new spike in “global heating” and increase the chance of breaking temperature records.

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The decision had a direct bearing on all council employees and sub-contractors engaged by the council.

Now the campaign is on to have the ban made permanent and, in addition, for all central government departments in Northern Ireland to implement similar policies.

Leading the anti-glyphosate campaign is the ‘Hive Cancer Support Group’. Jacquie Loughery, a Derry-based member of the group, is also committed to making the city of Derry a ‘pesticide-free’ area in its totality.

She said: “Chemicals, such as glyphosate, are causing severe damage to the environment and people’s health.”

Derry consultation

Jacquie attended the recent public consultation meeting in Derry, profiling the future carbon budget options  for Northern Ireland.

“The European Commission has already taken the decision to ban glyphosate. So it was important for the council to reflect this reality,” Loughery said.

“But it is important that the ban on glyphosate usage is made permanent and that other public bodies In Northern Ireland commit to a similar policy.”

Glyphosate

Meanwhile, pressure is building across Europe to have the use of glyphosate banned completely.

Those who favour this approach point to the introduction of better crop rotations, the use of intercropping, the application of mulches and a great reliance on mechanical weeding systems in a post-glyphosate world.

Others point to the role model that is organic agriculture. They claim farmers committed to this form of production agriculture have shown that it is possible to produce food in ways that work with nature a very fundamental level.

Glyphosate is currently for use in the EU until December 15, 2023. This means it can be used as an active substance in herbicide products until that date, subject to each product being authorised by national authorities following a safety evaluation. 

In 2022, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) carried out a hazard assessment of glyphosate and concluded that it did not meet the scientific criteria to be classified as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substance. 

Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide in the world. However, it has been linked to cancer and can be harmful to wildlife.

It was last approved for use in the EU back in 2017. The five-year licence was extended for another 12 months last December.

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Some of the board members of Natural England, the UK government’s statutory advisor on nature conservation, have been reappointed or have been given extensions to their terms

Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have reappointed Kim Shillinglaw and Peter Unwin and extended the appointments of Rosamund Blomfield-Smith and Kerry ten Kate.

Kim Shillinglaw and Peter Unwin have been reappointed for a second term of three years from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2026.

Rosamund Blomfield-Smith and Kerry ten Kate’s appointments have been extended for nine months from June 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024.

Natural England said its board members play an important role in providing leadership for the organisation, ensuring the delivery of its mission to build partnerships for nature recovery, in support of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

This includes setting strategy and direction, agreeing objectives, overseeing performance and taking important decisions such as designations, it said.

The appointments have all been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments published by the Cabinet Office.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process, the UK government said.

Natural England plays a key role in delivering the government’s environmental priorities. Its purpose is to ensure the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for “the benefit of present and future generations”.

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12 new projects focused on the restoration of peatlands across England have received £16 million in funding.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said thousands of hectares of peatlands – from the Great North Bog to the Norfolk Broads – are set to be restored through the funding.

The full list of projects that received funding is as follows:

• Norfolk – The Buttle Marshes Restoration project;
• Dorset – The Dorset Peat Partnership;
• Durham – The Durham County Council and the North Pennines AONB (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) partnership;
• Somerset – The RSPB’s Greylake Reserve;
• North Yorkshire – The ‘Moor to Restore’ project;
• Peak District – The ‘Moors for Climate’ partnership;
• Peak District – Park Hall and Kinder Scout project;
• Lincolnshire – The Fens East Peat Partnership;
• Lincolnshire – Humberhead Levels – Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust project;
• Lancashire – The Red Rose Project;
• Lancashire – The Holcombe Moor project;
• Cumbria – Partnership between the National Trust, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The UK government said 87% of England’s peatlands are degraded, damaged and dried out, emitting tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

This funding, it said, will help restore these environments and help protect wildlife and restore their ability to manage water quality and reduce the risk of flooding.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Our peatlands hold over half of our terrestrial store of carbon, but with just 1% in a near natural state and soils drying out we must take urgent action to prevent further carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere.

“Backed by over £16 million of government funding these new landscape-scale projects will drive collaboration and supercharge peatland restoration across the country to tackle climate change and fight biodiversity loss.”

Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, said: “Peatlands bring multiple benefits for society and the economy.

“They are huge carbon stores and also massive water filters that enable rivers to run clear. They comprise vital natural flood defences because of how they store water and on top of that support, they support many iconic wildlife species such as the Curlew.

“Wild peatlands also contribute to public health and wellbeing through providing wonderful opportunities for outdoor recreation.”

Juniper said restoring peatland landscapes to a “healthy ecological state” will ensure these benefits are protected, enhanced and handed on to future generations.

“I’m delighted these grants will bring more peatlands into the Nature Recovery Network that is so important for delivering our ambition for improving the natural environment in England,” he said.

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The programme was established to reintroduce the bird of prey to Ireland so that it becomes a viable, free ranging population in the wild.

Over the next five years, the NPWS plans to reintroduce 50 osprey chicks as part of the programme.

NPWS

Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey which require habitats close to rivers, lakes or coastal areas which ensure a sufficient supply of fish.

The species is known to be monogamous and faithful to both their mate and their nest.

Ospreys are thought to have become extinct as breeding birds on the island of Ireland over 150 years ago, but have continued to visit the island as part of their migratory pattern.

The release of the chicks follows confirmation that a breeding pair of ospreys and their chicks was discovered at a nesting site in Northern Ireland in recent weeks.

Ulster Wildlife said it was first time in over 200 years that ospreys have been recorded breeding naturally in Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland's Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan said the reintroduction programme is “an important tool in...efforts to conserve and restore nature”.

“We know from our European neighbours and our own firsthand experience that reintroduction programmes can bolster declining populations, gradually increasing them over time, while giving us valuable scientific insights into managing the return of this vulnerable species to our shores to plunge and dive for fish and eventually breed.

“Similar to the white-tailed eagle programme, the success of this initiative relies on the support of our farmers and landowners, who are working together with an experienced NPWS team, and I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to them for their contribution in bringing this spectacular bird back to our skies,” the minister said.

Philip Buckley, divisional manager with NPWS southwest, who heads up the osprey reintroduction programme said:

“In preparation for this programme, we drew on significant experience of countries around Europe who have reintroduced the osprey resulting in sizeable breeding populations over time.

“Identifying a suitable habitat which the birds will return to each year is key, and I would like to thank the farming community in the southeast for their engagement and co-operation.”

Similar to the white-tailed eagle reintroduction programme, the chicks are brought from Norway, and cared for at a secure location until they are ready to be released.

All of the chicks are satellite-tagged, so that NPWS staff can monitor their safety and welfare at this early stage, and their migratory pattern in the future.

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Marren also co-founded Astatine, a company based on renewable energy, with plans for advancements in the dairy sector.

He claims that heat pumps in the dairy industry can reduce the gas consumption on milk drying factories by 50% and the cheese factories by 100%.

He added that heat pumps can typically provide four times as much efficiency gains compared to a traditional heating system.

Despite the efficiency Marren claims these pumps will bring to the industry, he said he admits that the government’s plans of expansion in the area is “not feasible whatsoever”.

In 2021, according to Eurostat, only 6.8% of Ireland’s heat was generated by renewable energy.

As part of the Climate Action Plan 2021, the Irish government made plans to replace oil and solid fuel boilers with heat pumps which will be operated by renewable electricity sources such as solar PV panels.

Industrial heat

The government’s plan is to install 400,000 heat pumps and carry out 500,000 home energy upgrades by 2030.

Marren said that at the moment, Astatine installs about 60,000 heat pumps/year. To reach the government’s goal, then the company would have to install about 8,000/month.

“The supply chain isn’t there and there’s a lot of decisions you would have to get from people to allow that to happen,” Marren said.

The company has reached out to the government for “short- and medium-term support” to help reach climate targets.

“If we can go industry by industry, it will be easier to achieve goals,” Marren said.

Astatine is currently engaging in business with major milk processors in both the north and south of Ireland.

Marren said in its third year of business, Astatine typically sees a “two to three-year pay back on the installation”, therefore government support would only be temporary.

An installation grant is available to buyers from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for up to 30% investment in renewable heating systems using: Air source, ground source, and water source heat pumps.

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Blue-green algae has been detected in multiple locations across Northern Ireland, including Lough Neagh and Lough Erne, and can potentially produce toxins that may be fatal to livestock and pets.

“The key reason is that excess nutrients are entering our water bodies, primarily from agricultural land use activities and from waste water pressures,” it said in a statement to Agriland.

“Algal blooms occur naturally due to the combination of factors such as water temperature, water clarity, sunlight and nutrient availability.

“However, excess nutrients can compound blooms and lead to the growth of blue-green algae, exacerbated by invasive Zebra mussels leading to clearer water conditions.”

DAERA, as well as the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), has been the subject of criticism on social media in recent weeks due to the water pollution incidences.

Lead singer of punk band The Undertones, Feargal Sharkey, has been active on Twitter regarding incidences of water pollution in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

In one post, Sharkey agreed with a Twitter user that the department was “complicit in creating this ecological disaster”.

DAERA has said it is fully committed to protecting the environment and working with partners to ensure Northern Ireland’s waterways are healthy.

It said the pollution incidences in the lakes may see algae wash up on any part of the shoreline.

“Farmers and pet owners should ensure that animals do not have access to water that appears to be subject to a bloom, as the algae can potentially produce toxins that may be fatal to livestock / pets,” it said.

The department said it recognises that work must be done to improve water quality and reduce pollution in Northern Ireland, but said responsibility for this does not just fall on itself and the NIEA.

“Whilst it is recognised that significant pieces of work are progressing, improvements in water quality will take a considerable period of sustained effort over many years, and DAERA and NIEA cannot deliver this on their own.

“Every person in Northern Ireland needs to consider how their behaviour impacts on the water environment. We all have a part to play in this long-term effort to positively contribute to a sustained improvement in the status of our water bodies.”

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The UK government has announced a £10 million contribution to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF).

The newly established international fund aims to tackle global biodiversity loss and will support the Kunming-Montreal GBF, agreed by almost 200 countries, which sets out a plan of action to half and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

It was announced yesterday (Thursday, August 24) at the Global Environment Facility assembly in Vancouver, Canada, that £10 million of UK funding is going towards the GBFF.

During the assembly, Nature Minister Trudy Harrison said: “As we confront the critical challenge of halting and reversing biodiversity loss around the world, working together has never been more important. 

“Our initial contribution to the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund showcases the United Kingdom’s ongoing dedication to protecting our planet’s natural diversity – and through vital international cooperation we are paving the way for a more sustainable future for our planet.”

After announcing its funding contribution, the UK government said: “Nature is the foundation of our livelihoods, supporting food production, economic prosperity and security.

“But nature loss around the world is taking place faster than ever before with more than 1 million species being at risk of extinction due to habitats such as coral reefs, rainforests and peatlands being lost.”

Now that the GBFF has been launched, it will build on the existing work of the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The GEF supports developing countries in tackling major environmental problems and provides funding for environmental projects in 144 Overseas Development Aid eligible countries.

Previously funded work included providing new software to support rangers in Africa to track and protect animals from poachers, targeted finance towards more effective ocean management strategies in Asia, and helping to safeguard the world’s remaining ancient primary forests.

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The pair has bred at a confidential nest site in Co. Fermanagh.

The bird of prey, which is also known as a fish hawk, has re-colonised naturally in the area.

The conservation charity believes that at least two, possibly three chicks have been hatched.

Chicks

The historic discovery was made by Giles Knight, environmental farming scheme advisor with Ulster Wildlife.

Giles has been observing the breeding pair for the last three seasons while carrying out his local farm visits in the area.

“I have been keeping this news close to my chest for a long time to ensure the safety and welfare of these spectacular but vulnerable birds,” he said.

“Along with my son Eoin, I have watched the adults return to the same site since 2021, so you can imagine my excitement the moment that I saw three chicks and two adults this year,” he said.

“It was a rub-your-eyes, once-in-a-lifetime moment; an absolute highlight of my 30-year wildlife career – like finding long-lost treasure.

“With at least two of the chicks fledging this season, this is a huge conservation success story and indicates a healthy wetland ecosystem with plenty of suitable habitat and fish to bring this apex predator back to our skies and plunging into the Fermanagh Lakelands,” he added.

Ospreys

The medium-sized raptor, which is a protected species, has a white head with a distinctive brown eyestripe.

The bird is a fish-specialist, rarely eating anything else. It is usually found near water, including freshwater inland rivers and loughs as well as coastal estuaries and shorelines.

Ospreys are thought to have become extinct as a breeding bird in Ireland in the late 18th century due to systematic persecution.

Although often sighted on migration to and from sub-Saharan Africa, confirmed breeding in Ireland has been elusive until now, with Scotland their UK breeding stronghold.

Dr. Marc Ruddock from the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group said the confirmation of ospreys breeding in Ireland is “truly brilliant news”.

He said that the location of the nest will remain confidential to avoid the birds being disturbed.

“Now these birds are back in Ireland and breeding successfully, it is critical that they are left in peace so their numbers can continue to grow by returning year on year to breed.

“We believe and hope that this could be the start of a raptor dynasty.

“It has been both encouraging and heartwarming to see the landowner, the local farming community and our partners welcome the ospreys’ return.

“Their ongoing support will enable future generations to enjoy these magnificent birds far into the future,” Dr. Ruddock said.

Across Ireland, osprey monitoring, the erection of nesting platforms, and planning for translocation and re-introduction programmes have been ongoing for many years.

Earlier this year, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien announced that the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was to embark on a re-introduction project for the species.

It was planned to release chicks in the southeast of the country during the summer months.

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The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has warned that extreme weather is the “new normal” and in some countries temperatures have “reached new heights”.

The WMO said today (Tuesday, August 22) that “high impact” weather will continue through August.

Alvaro Silva, a climate expert with WMO, said: “The frequency and intensity of many extremes, such as heatwaves and heavy precipitation, has increased in recent decades.

“There is high confidence that human-induced climate change from greenhouse emissions is the main driver.

“This gives us the long-term context for the increasing occurrence and severity of such extreme weather and extreme events.”

Extreme weather

The WMO has previously warned that soaring global temperatures will have “far-reaching repercussions” for food security.

According to Silva, the behaviour of the jet stream has been a contributing factor.

“There are several studies suggesting a connection between rapid warming and changes in the Arctic, due to human-induced climate change, and midlatitude weather patterns, including in atmospheric dynamics such as the jet stream, but further in depth research is needed to fully understand and explain the extremes occurring this summer,” he added.

The WMO’s climate expert pointed to a number of severe heat warnings which are currently in place across Europe from Switzerland, which is under level three amber alert to red alerts in parts of Italy, Croatia and Portugal.

According to the organisation, in Norway, where there has been prolonged heavy rainfall, floods and landslides, there is also a top-level red alert for rain in place in the southern part of the country.

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Testing is underway as part of a major project aiming to reduce the environmental impact of ammonia emissions from livestock.

It comes after ammonia-harvesting technology was installed on a commercial pig farm in North Yorkshire.

The PigProGrAm scheme is demonstrating a farm-focused solution for the harvesting of green ammonia from pig waste that could also lead to the creation of hydrogen, a valuable tool in the fight against climate change.

The research project, backed by £600,000 of UK government money, includes the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Beta Technology, the University of Leeds and Duynie Feed.

Agriculture is a major source of ammonia emissions which can impact negatively on biodiversity through nitrogen accumulation on land and acidification of water courses.

Emissions

The latest addition to the research team is Membracon, which specialises in water treatment, clean water recycling and effluent solutions.

The company’s patented, award-winning downflow gas contactor (DGC) was installed on the pig farm in July.

The technology is used in a wide variety of gas separations applications, such as industrial carbon capture, as well as biogas enhancements.

“The DGC will be used on this ambitious project to help generate a route for the livestock sector to become truly sustainable; considering the true practices of a circular economy, while retaining a sound financial profile to continuing operations,” Aman Sohl from Membracon said.

Harvesting ammonia from pig waste means that ammonia emissions will be lower; the byproduct from the process can be used in several ways, such as producing a high-quality fertiliser as well as potentially generating hydrogen.

Zanita Markham, Projects and Engagement Relationship Manager at AHDB, said: “We hope that the PigProGrAm project will be the first stage of a larger demonstration of the potential of this innovative approach to harvesting green ammonia from livestock and will contribute to the UK meeting its net-zero emission target.

“The project is a step forwards in helping reduce the environmental impact of pig farms which not only enables us to keep meeting environmental targets but could have a significant positive impact on the public perception of pig farming,” she added.

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Origin Fertilisers has become an ambassador for The Green Tractor Scheme, with the aim of supporting the farming industry to dispose of plastic waste in the most sustainable way.

Founded in 2020, The Green Tractor Scheme’s goal is to ensure all agricultural plastic waste is recycled by 2030.

The scheme provides best practice to farmers on the separation of plastic waste while also lobbying industry to remove “unnecessary” plastics from the supply chain.

So far, agri-businesses have joined the scheme at over 80 partner locations.

Origin Fertilisers said that it as already made “significant steps” to reduce the plastic content in its fertiliser bags by changing the makeup of its 600kg and 1,000kg bags to contain 30% recycled material.

Marketing manager for Origin Fertilisers, Mandy McAulay, said the scheme will help businesses take a more sustainable approach to waste.

“We are delighted to be part of The Green Tractor Scheme, which ties in with our core values of making agriculture more sustainable through innovative measures,” she said.

“We want to be a leader in making a positive change regarding plastic recycling and supporting farmers and the wider industry in doing the same.”

McAulay said the company is keen to show accountability to reduce its plastic use and wants to maximise nutrient use efficiency across its fertiliser range.

Origin Fertilisers said its ambassadorial role will help it build on its environmental values as it develops more products to meet the needs of “modern farming”.

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A London-based company has received government funding to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning for grassland monitoring and management to support decarbonisation, with a particular focus on dairy farms.

Early stage start-up listt.io, which concentrates on technology solutions for regenerative agriculture, has developed an autonomous soil and crop health monitoring solution, based on mobile robotics for agriculture.

Its aim to deliver high-accuracy sensors to provide high-integrity soil and crop data for reporting and validation purposes.

It has received £132,147 for the project, which will use AI across the full stack of such solutions – from translating earth observation (EO) data to actionable areas, identifying sample points, to interpreting the data gathered.

AI projects

listt.io received the £132,147 funding through the government’s Artificial Intelligence for Decarbonisation programme, which has funded 12 projects via two ‘streams’.

Steam 2, under which listt.io received funding, funds projects to help drive decarbonisation in three sectors: Power, industry, and agriculture.

Other projects that received funding in this category include a solar energy project run by the University of Nottingham (£133,932), which will use AI to improve forecasting of solar energy production; and a Secqai Ltd. project to support the development of ultra-low-power AI technology, mirroring the neural structure of the human brain, cutting the carbon footprint of traditional AI hardware (£100,000).

Commenting on the announcement of successful applicants to the programme, Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Lord Callanan said:

“It’s projects like those announced today (Wednesday, August 15) that will take us to the next step on our ambitious journey to becoming net zero, while boosting our energy security and creating a new wave of skilled jobs for the future.”

“AI is delivering transformative change in the UK,” Minister for AI and Intellectual Property, Viscount Camrose added.

“These winning projects are yet another example of how we are tapping into our world-class research base and homegrown expertise to tackle one of the most pressing global challenges of our time.

“Whether backing projects to help us slash emissions or supporting research to revolutionise healthcare for patients, we’re harnessing the enormous potential of AI technologies to improve people’s lives.”

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The mandatory reporting of farm-level emissions, which had been due to come into force from January 1 next, will now start in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024.

The government has confirmed that an emissions pricing system will now start in Q4 of 2025, rather than the first quarter of that year.

Work will also get underway to allow scientifically validated forms of on-farm sequestration of emissions to be included in the county’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

The announcement confirmed a split-gas approach, which would treat methane and nitrous oxide as separate to carbon dioxide (CO2).

Emissions

“Our decisions accommodate the key issues raised by the partners on timelines, and also set a framework for the factors that will determine the farm-level levy price.

“Our plan is one that supports farmers’ transition, helps secure their future export growth, and works alongside our other climate policies to continue reducing our emissions,” the country’s Minister for Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, said.

He said that New Zealand’s future food and fibre export growth would depend on the country demonstrating its sustainability credentials.

“The decisions announced today (Friday, August 18) set out a path that gives farmers certainty and addresses the ever-strengthening market signals from overseas on climate,” he said.

“We believe the best approach to rewarding sequestration on-farm is putting scientifically validated forms into the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS), rather than establishing a parallel system.

“This will provide a pathway for methods such as indigenous vegetation or riparian plantings to be recognised, and research is already happening in this space,” Minister O’Connor added.

He said that it is “vital farmers can accurately measure and manage their emissions, prior to the start of farm-level pricing”.

New Zealand

The New Zealand government is investing over NZ$300 million over four years through Budget 2022 to get new tools and technology to reduce on-farm emissions to farmers quicker and provide extra on-the-ground support to adapt.

The government is partnering with the agricultural sector to invest NZ$54 million into the first projects through the Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions to bring down emissions

This includes developing a methane inhibiting bolus, increasing the pool of researchers with skills in agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, and building a new greenhouse gas testing facility for large cattle.

The 2023 Budget allocated NZ$15.4 million in 2023-24 to continue the development of a system to enable farmers and their advisers to calculate and report agricultural emissions.

“Everyone should understand that New Zealand has international Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets that, if not met by 2030, will see us paying billions offshore to offset emissions.

“I believe farmers would prefer to begin paying a levy now that is ring-fenced within the sector to drive the technology we need to contribute to our NDC targets and meet consumer expectations,” O’Connor said.

Farmers

Beef and Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and the Meat Industry Association (MIA) said there are “dismayed” at the government policy, which is currently out for public consultation.

“The arbitrary deadline set by the government for pricing agricultural emissions has no justification given the sector’s progress in reducing emissions and the scale of issues that still need to be addressed,” they said.

“The focus should be on setting up a practical and cost effective emissions measurement and reporting framework, and ensuring issues like sequestration are resolved and there are viable mitigation tools available, before any pricing is considered.

“There is no sound rationale for pricing when the sector is making good progress towards meeting emissions reduction targets,” Kate Acland, chair of B+LNZ, said.

The organisations said that New Zealand’s sheep and beef farmers are “among the most efficient producers in the world” and have reduced emissions by 1% annually for the past 30 years.

“This policy will simply drive down our production and result in other less efficient countries taking our place and pushing up global emissions.

“New Zealand is the first country in the world to seek to price agricultural emissions and there is no blueprint to copy.

“Given that our economy is built around the production and export of food, it is essential we take the time to get this right,” Acland added.

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United Utilities Water Limited has been fined £800,000 after illegally abstracting 22 billion litres of water from boreholes in Lancashire.

The company was fined at Warrington Magistrates Court following a prosecution by the Environment Agency.

The over abstraction has been reported to have caused additional stress on the environment during a period of very dry weather in 2018, and led to a significant decline in the water level available in the Fylde Aquifer.

The Environment Agency said the aquifer, which is an underground water storage area that facilitates healthy river flows, will take years to recover.

The case was brought after an investigation by the Environment Agency revealed that United Utilities had taken more water than allowed by five of their abstraction licences in the in the Franklaw and Broughton Borehole Complex.

The Environment Agency said the amount of water taken by the company is equivalent to the amount needed to fill 8,800 Olympic swimming pools.

Environment Agency director for Lancashire, Carol Holt, said: “Our priority is to ensure clean and plentiful water for people, the economy and the environment in England and we welcome today’s sentencing which exposes unacceptable practices from United Utilities Water Limited over a prolonged period of time.

“While water companies are allowed to abstract water from the environment, over abstraction, especially during times of prolonged dry weather, has damaging impacts to our environment.”

Holt said the agency will continue to strive for a better water sector across the country to protect its water supplies now and for the future.

“We are transforming our approach to regulation, holding the water industry to account and working with water companies such as United Utilities Water Limited to help them improve.”

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said: “It is absolutely right that companies that harm our environment are held to account by the courts, as has happened with United Utilities today.

“Through our plan for water we are driving forward work to improve our water system and deliver the change people want to see – including tougher enforcement, tighter regulation of water companies and increased investment.”

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The Environment Agency has launched a consultation on changes to fines imposed for environmental offences.

The consultation, which was launched yesterday (Tuesday, August 15), will run for eight weeks and close on October 8.

It is seeking views on when penalties are used, how they are calculated and the appeals process.

This follows an announcement from the UK government last month in which it said it will lift the current cap of £250,000 that the Environment Agency can impose directly on operators.

As well as this, the government is seeking to expand the number of offences that will be punishable by monetary penalties.

The aim of the new legislation, which will be approved by both Houses of Parliament before coming into force, is to offer regulators a quicker method of enforcement rather than “lengthy and costly criminal proceedings”, the Environment Agency said.

Executive director of the Environment Agency, John Leyland, said: “These new enforcement powers will be an extra tool in our armoury to hold polluters to account.

“They will act as a further deterrent – boosting compliance across a range of sectors and helping us provide stronger protection to the environment, communities and nature.”

Minister for environmental quality and resilience, Rebecca Pow, said polluters must “always pay” for their offences.

“…by lifting the cap on these sanctions, we are simultaneously toughening our enforcement tools and expanding where regulators can use them,” she said.

“This consultation builds on government action to increase investment, toughen enforcement and tighten regulation and will make sure there is a proportionate punishment for operators that breach their permits and harm our rivers, seas and precious habitats.”

The Environment Agency said that, although the fines will be more commonly used as a quicker enforcement method for environmental offences, the most serious cases will continue to be taken through criminal proceedings.

“There are clear provisions in the sentencing council guidelines that will ensure the level of penalties levied are proportionate to the degree of environmental harm and culpability,” it said.

“These include safeguards to ensure the operator’s ability to pay, the size of the operators, and the degree of responsibility and harm, amongst others – all of which are taken into account when imposing a penalty.

“The penalties will only be applied where it is shown beyond reasonable doubt that an offence has occurred.”

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Yesterday (Tuesday, August 15), the Animal Agriculture Water Quality Subcommittee of the EPA announced that it had denied the petitions, which asked it to revise a set of regulations under clean water laws.

These regulations fall under the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) programme, part of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

The two petitions were submitted to the EPA in 2017 and 2022. In October 2022, the agency agreed to a court-approved deadline to respond to the 2017 petition.

That petition requested that the EPA address several issues around farm operator permitting, by increasing the number of operators covered by the rules, enhancing monitoring of compliance, and improving nutrient management plans.

Instead of granting the petitions, the EPA announced that it will conduct a "comprehensive evaluation" of the CAFOs programme, which would take into account the issues raised in the petitions.

As part of the evaluation, the agency will carry out a "detailed study" of CAFOs effluent limitation guidelines, as well as establishing a new federal (national) advisory committee under the existing EPA subcommittee that deals with farms, ranches and rural communities.

The EPA said that this new advisory committee will include "a diverse range" of stakeholders, which will "help to inform the EPA's efforts to improve its CAFOs programme".

The agency also said that a "comprehensive evaluation is essential before determining whether any regulatory revisions are necessary or appropriate".

"The EPA is committed to working with stakeholders, advocates, communities, and industry to explore how to achieve water quality improvements related to CAFOs," an EPA statement added.

Responding to the EPA's decision, Food and Water Watch, one of the key groups behind the 2017 petition, said the EPA decision was "deeply flawed" and "amounts to yet more delay".

The group's legal director, Tarah Heinzen, commented: "The lack of urgency displayed in the EPA's decision doubled down on the agency's failure to protect our water, and those who rely on it."

Heinzen said that Food and Water Watch would be considering options on how to proceed in response to the EPA's denial of the petition, adding: "The fight to safeguard clean water is far from over."

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The budget was widened as the department said there was a “phenomenal level of interest”, with 41,000 applications received by the closing date of April 20.

A total of 51 manufacturers over 17 counties in the Republic of Ireland are involved in the scheme. A further 10 are operating in Northern Ireland.

Quarries operating outside the state are not required to be licenced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), but lime supplied must meet the specifications set down under the Marketing of Non-Eec Fertilisers Regulations law.

Limestone quarries operating outside the state, currently eligible to supply lime under the National Liming Programme 2023 include:

• Acheson & Glover, Co. Fermanagh;
• Armagh Limestone;
• OMYA UK Ltd, Co. Antrim;
• Northstone (Carmean), Co. Derry;
• Kilwaughter Minerals, Larne, Co. Antrim;
• W.G. Mills (Loughgall), Co. Armagh;
• B. McCaffrey (Derrylin), Co. Fermanagh;
• Armagh City Quarries;
• B. McCaffrey (Drumquin), Co. Tyrone;
• R.J. Mitten & Sons, Co. Fermanagh.

The list will be added to as test results are provided by quarries and verified by DAFM to meet the National Liming Programme requirements.

A full list of participants in the Republic of Ireland is available on the DAFM’s website.

Lime prices

Agriland has compiled a selection of prices for lime from operating quarries involved in the National Liming Programme.

It should be noted that these figures are based on the cost of Ex Works ground limestone per tonne, and are simply the figures observed at the time of writing (Tuesday, August 15).

Looking at five different providers in the Northern Ireland, prices varied from the lowest of £17.70/t to the highest at £20/t.

Prices averaged at £18.90/t. As of today (Tuesday, August 15), one pound is worth €1.16.

Variation in prices between the north and south remained low.

Out of five different participants Agriland received figures from in the Republic of Ireland, the lowest price stood at €18/t.

The highest recorded price was €25/t and the average price of all five stood at €21.

Eligibility

All eligible applicants for funding under the Liming Programme will receive a letter of approval from the department shortly, confirming their eligible tonnage of lime.

Invoices can be uploaded for eligible applicants that have already purchased and spread lime. All claims must be lodged online by October 31.

Farmers that availed of a nitrates derogation in 2022 or 2023, and farmers with a grassland stocking rate above 170kg livestock manure nitrogen/ha prior to export in 2022, are ineligible to participate in the programme.

The following land categories are excluded from the programme: Commonage land, Forestry, Lands under Natura 2000, NHA/pNHA designation, as well as Annex 1 grassland, and environmentally sensitive permanent grassland.

Herdowners who are participating or intend to participate in the 2023 Eco-Scheme practice relating to soil sampling and liming are also not eligible to participate in the programme.

Valid soil samples must be available to show the need to correct soil pH. The maximum payment that a farmer is likely to receive is in the region of €640.

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Highland cattle have been brought in to trim the vegetation on the nesting grounds of lapwing at Arundel Wetland Centre in West Sussex.

Arundel Wetland Centre is one of 10 wetland centres across the UK managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) conservation charity.

Four Highland heifers were brought to the wetland nature reserve on August 2, and will graze the wet grassland for two months.

The aim of using the cattle to graze is to knock back the vegetation more sustainably than machinery. An added benefit, WWT said, is the beetles and worms that the cows’ dung attracts, which provides rich feeding grounds for nesting lapwing in springtime.

Reserve Manager Suzi Lanaway said: “These lovely girls will help keep vegetation in check in the summer months.

“Birds and wildlife aren’t bothered by the livestock – in fact the cattle egrets will enjoy the flies the heifers attract.”

According to the WWT, which runs Arundel, the land where the Highland cattle will be grazing was traditionally grazing marsh.

The cattle will be visible from the Ramsar Wildlife hide and the Lapwing Wildlife hide at the wetland centre.

WWT maintains thousands of hectares of wetland across its reserves with the purpose of supporting and protecting endangered species – the lapwing being one of these.

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Two breeding pairs of lapwing were discovered this summer at Lecale Fens Special Area of Conservation (SAC), outside Downpatrick.

It follows ongoing efforts by Ulster Wildlife to help restore nature in the area.

The charity has been working closely with local farmer John Crea to improve the condition of this designated site by eliminating invasive species and scrub, such as rhododendron, using amphibious machinery.

Rare bird

Similar to many other ground-nesting birds, the lapwing has suffered major declines over the last 40 years due to the loss of wetland habitat and changes in farming practices.

The bird is now red-listed on the birds of conservation concern in Ireland and is a Northern Ireland priority species because of its decline, rarity and importance.

The lapwing requires “a mosaic of habitats” in order to breed and prefers boggy open areas with bare ground or short vegetation, avoiding areas of dense cover.

“After a chance conversation with the farmer, we visited the fen to witness several newly fledged chicks, alongside their parents,” Simon Gray, peatland conservation officer with Ulster Wildlife, said.

“It was fantastic to see them darting around the muddy pools that have formed since we removed four hectares of dense and encroaching vegetation – creating the ideal open wet habitat these endangered birds need to thrive.

“In the past, this area was managed by grazing or burning to stop scrub taking over and drying out the fen but given climate concerns associated with peat burning and risks to livestock from deep water, we had to come up with new and innovative solutions.

“Five years later and we’re thrilled to see our restoration efforts reap rewards for biodiversity with Lecale Fens moving towards a healthy condition again.

“This will have a knock-on effect on other wetland-loving wildlife too such as dragonflies, snipe and silver hook moth,” he added.

John Crea said he was delighted to see the lapwing back on his farm.

“It’s brilliant to see these birds doing so well and we hope they come back again next year to breed,” he said.

Ulster Wildlife is currently working with landowners across Northern Ireland to restore designated peatland sites along with large-scale peatland areas in need of restoration.

The aim is to help bring back the rich diversity of species these sites once supported, as well as the host of benefits peatlands provide from flood prevention to carbon sequestration.

“With over 75% of land in Northern Ireland farmed, it is vital that farmers and landowners are properly supported to help restore nature on a landscape scale with peatland sites, such as this, playing a vital role in helping to tackle the nature and climate crisis,” Gray said.

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The Scottish government has today (Friday, August 11) published a new response plan to deal with the issues posed by avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds.

The Scottish Wild Bird Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Response Plan sets out the multi-agency approach to monitoring and mitigating the spread of the disease.

The plan provides guidance to regulators, the public, those involved in animal rescue, researchers and environmental bodies on issues relating to bird flu in wild birds.

Scotland’s Environment Minister, Gillian Martin, thanked the country’s organisations and partners today for their efforts to respond to the ongoing bird flu outbreak in wild birds.

Martin said the last two years have been some of the most challenging on record for wild bird populations and the people who care for them.

“The avian flu outbreak in wild bird populations across the globe is extremely sad and has been difficult for us all to witness,” she said.

“In most cases there is no alternative but to let the disease run its course, however the effectiveness of our multi-agency response in monitoring the spread of the virus can build our understanding of the outbreak and what mitigation measures might be helpful. The publication of this plan is designed to support this.

“Our understanding of the outbreak in wild birds is also important in helping us to minimise the impact on kept birds and poultry, who we cannot forget have also been significantly affected by this virus.”

In the year to September 30, 2022, surveillance data showed bird flu was present in 34 wild bird species in Scotland.

In the spring and summer of 2022, a total of approximately 20,500 seabird deaths across 160 locations were reported to NatureScot.

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Dutch State Mines Nutritional Products Ltd (DSM) applied to import or manufacture a substance containing 10-25% of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) – a chemical that is new to New Zealand.

DSM has claimed that 3-NOP can reduce methane emissions from ruminant animals including cows, sheep and goats, by 30%.

Under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act, the EPA is responsible for the assessment of risks to human health and the environment.

In concentrated forms, 3-NOP can pose significant risks to people and the EPA said it has put in place rules for safely using the substance.

The final products used in agriculture or by farmers are likely to incorporate lower concentrations of 3-NOP. 

Methane inhibitor

Dr. Chris Hill, the EPA’s general manager of hazardous substances and new organisms, said that substances for climate change mitigation are still new to New Zealand.

But he added that they “are important for meeting New Zealand’s international obligations under climate agreements”.

“This is the country’s first application for a methane inhibitor, so it was important to confirm how 3-NOP would be used and the information we required to carry out an appropriate risk assessment.

“We carry out a comprehensive assessment for every hazardous substance application. Our assessments are focused on scientific data and evidence, economic information, and local information, as well as cultural perspectives to ensure we continue to protect people and our environment,” Dr Hill added.

He also said this also involved a “robust assessment”.

“The application was subject to a number of requests for additional information.

“DSM also put the application on hold for around eight months, so they could compile further information for the risk assessment process,” Dr Hill said.

The EPA is now working closely with New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) which is responsible for assessing efficacy, animal welfare, the potential for residues in food, and risks to trade in primary produce.

The two bodies are collaborating on the regulation of methane and nitrogen inhibitors and streamlining the application and assessment process.

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Brazil, one of the four members of the Mercosur trading bloc – and the only Mercosur member in which the Amazon is located – has been accused in recent years of increasing deforestation to make way for new farmland as part of an effort to ramp up beef production.

However, a presidential election last year saw the then incumbent Jair Bolsonaro – who was seen as favouring this policy of expanding farmland through deforestation – voted out of office.

This political change has been associated with a change of attitude towards deforestation among Brazil’s leadership.

On Tuesday (August 8), Brazil and the seven other members of the Amazon Co-operation Treaty Organisation (ACTO) held a summit in the Brazilian city of Belem and signed the ‘Belem Declaration’.

The document “consolidates the consensus agenda of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela for the region”.

It contains 113 objectives and principles relating to deforestation, water quality, biodiversity, social equality, and several other issues.

According to the document, ACTO is “the only intergovernmental coordination body of the eight Amazonian countries for the joint development of projects and actions that produce equitable and beneficial results for the Amazonian countries”.

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The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has today (Wednesday, August 9) called for more resilient food supply chains in the face of “global shock” and extreme weather.

President of the NFU, Minette Batters, called for the UK government to “take an active interest in the UK food chain resilience”.

“It starts and ends with our food security. We need to be able to produce more of our own food at home, regardless of what else is going on in the world,” she said.

“Today puts that into context as it marks the day of the year we would run out of food if we only had access to UK produce.”

Batters said the UK cannot become over-reliant on imports when other countries are also facing “significant changes” economically and climatically.

“That’s why the Prime Minister needs to put words into action from his recent food summit and legislate to ensure the UK’s self-sufficiency does not drop below its current level of 60%,” she said.

“Now is the time to build ensure policies are in place to support the production of quality, climate friendly, home-grown food.

“This government has statutory targets for the environment and Ministers need now to give the same status to our food production.”

Problems for food security

The NFU warned that global instability caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine, a year of rising food inflation and recent bouts of extreme weather are all highlighting the frailties of the UK’s food system.

“I have never known such volatility in the global food system,” Batters said.

“Climate change is wreaking havoc on food production across the world, with farmers in Southern Europe literally fighting fires while farmers here are despairing as they now must spend thousands of pounds to dry sodden grain.”

At the same time, she said, the conflict in Ukraine is putting pressure on the global grain market and ongoing inflation of input costs, like energy and fertiliser, have made for an exceptionally difficult year.

For many farmers and growers, this year has already been incredibly expensive to produce food and now the weeks of wet weather mean more money is needed to dry the harvest that’s been gathered, Batters said.

“On top of the domestic weather records that have been broken this year – the driest February in 30 years and the hottest June ever recorded, followed by a remarkably wet July – I would also add the most expensive arable harvest in generations,” she said.

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A York-based farming business has offered to pay £23,640 to the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust after spreading waste sludge on land illegally, the Environment Agency has said.

J E Hartley Limited, of Roth Hill Lane, Thorganby, which produces frozen vegetables for UK retailers and manufacturers, submitted an Enforcement Undertaking to the Environment Agency.

An Enforcement Undertaking is a voluntary offer made by companies or individuals to make amends for their offending. J E Hartley Limited’s offences consisted of spreading waste sludge on its land between March 2016 and February 2022 without permission.

The company had held a permit for spreading its own waste on its land since March 2016 and operates an anaerobic digestate plant on-site which produces the waste sludge that the company spreads on its land.

Under the conditions of the permit, the company must make an application each time it wishes to spread waste, to say where it intends to spread waste, what type of waste, how much and when.

The Environment Agency considers each application and decides if there is an agricultural benefit to the spreading to discern whether or not it can go ahead.

Records showed that the company’s spreading took place every year from 2013 to 2021 in varying quantities from 2,664t to 10,530t.

However, only four applications for spreading were made during this period and all were refused, needing additional information. The company avoided paying applications fees which ranged from £760 to £1,718 each time it spread waste on its land.

Although no environmental harm has been identified from the spreading carried out by the company, area environment manager for the North Yorkshire Environment Agency, Claire Barrow, said companies need to be aware of their environmental obligations.

“In this case JE Hartley Limited recognised that they had failed to comply with their environmental permit and we deemed it appropriate to accept an Enforcement Undertaking offer, which ensured that all avoided application costs were donated to a project that will enhance, restore and protect England’s natural environment,” she said.

“In some circumstances, Enforcement Undertakings can achieve a good resolution of our enforcement action, allowing the offender to put things right and help to improve our environment.

“This payment of £23,640 will do just that by supporting the work of the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.”

Barrow said the offer from J E Hartley Limited outlined that it will revise its land spreading procedures and not spread without permissions for spreading in place and cover the Environment Agency’s costs.

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With this technology, farmers will also be able to use pesticides to better effect, and monitor their soil more efficiently.

The World Nano Foundation has released a report it said aims to delve “into the potential game-changing role of nanotechnology in revolutionising sustainable agriculture practices”.

It defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter at the microscopic nanoscale level.

The report states that the technology is already being applied to improve the efficiency and sustainability of agriculture worldwide.

Nanotechnology in agriculture

The report states that nanotechnology can provide benefits to a range of aspects of agriculture, including:

Precision agriculture – nanosensors can monitor soil moisture, temperature, nutrient levels, allowing farmers to optimise crop yields while reducing inputs of water and fertiliser;

Smart delivery systems – nanoparticles can be used to deliver fertilisers and pesticides more efficiently, reducing waste and minimising environmental impact;

Disease detection – nanosensors can detect the presence of plant pathogens (organisms carrying disease), allowing farmers to take action before severe damage is done;

Food preservation – nanotechnology can be used to develop antimicrobial coatings for food packaging, which can extend the shelf life of food and reduce food waste.

University research

In Wales, researchers at Aberystwyth University have explored the potential of nanomaterials in developing innovative solutions for the targeted delivery of pesticides, fungicides, and other agrochemicals.

This university aims to enhance the effectiveness of crop protection while minimising the environmental impact of chemical inputs.

Aberystwyth University also seeks to investigate the use of nanosensors in order to provide data on soil nutrients and moisture levels, allowing farmers to make informed decisions on fertiliser application and irrigation.

Prof. Peter Majewski of the University of South Australia said: “Nanotechnology offers exciting possibilities for sustainable agriculture, particularly in precision agriculture and targeted delivery of nutrients and pesticides.”

At the University of California Davis, researchers have explored the use of nanotechnology in the areas of crop production, pest management, and precision agriculture.

They are also investigating the use of nanofertilisers to enhance nutrient uptake and efficiency and to develop nanomaterial-based systems for targeted and controlled release of agrochemicals (to control pests).

The Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi is focused on the development of nanofertilisers to enhance crop productivity and reduce nutrient losses, as well as agrochemicals using nanomaterial-based systems for effective pest and disease management.

Sustainable agriculture

The market for nanotechnology in sustainable agriculture through organic farming, herbicides and farming practices is still relatively small but expected to grow significantly.

The report stated that the global nanotechnology market in agriculture is forecasted to reach $16.7 billion by 2025, with the increasing demand for sustainable agriculture practices a key driver of market growth.

The US Department of Agriculture has awarded $35 million in grants over the past five years to support research in this sector.

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The number of people affected by the drought in Kenya rose from 4.46 million last year to 6.40 million, latest figures by the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) show.

When the rain arrived in a deluge between March and May, after what had been the worst drought in the region in 70 years, the dried-out ground could not absorb the rain. Fields and homes were flooded as a result.

In total 5.44 million people suffer from acute food insecurity in the east African country. Marsabit county in northern Kenya remains in an emergency with 309,000 people affected, according to the OCHA.

Speaking to Agriland after her latest trip to Marsabit in June 2023, Christian Aid Ireland CEO, Rosamond Bennett said that communities went from dust to flooding in a very short space of time.

From drought to flooding

When Rosamond arrived in Marsabit in June the flooding had receded, however, houses were damaged or destroyed, and some villages and communities were totally cut off, she said.

The Christian Aid Ireland CEO described travelling over bridges that, she said, were not safe, and how communities had no way of accessing local markets.

Despite a lot more greenery in the region allowing for more livestock grazing, there are fewer animals to eat it, she said. In the entire country 2.6 million livestock have died due to the drought.

Communities have now started growing maize using old seeds that would have previously been used for animal fodder. This harvest will be the first they get to feed themselves, Rosamond said.

“Food insecurity has not gone away. A few rains after five seasons of drought does not change the situation,” she added.

For about a month a lot of the communities were isolated due to the floods during the rainy season between March and May. Rosamond explained that the people affected decide what support they need.

With funding from Christian Aid Ireland, large water tanks holding 10,000L could be bought and filled up with water, which communities were then able to sell locally, she said.

The organisation has also been working with people who are living with disabilities. The community decided that they need a shop which they could set up and run themselves, and some livestock, Rosamond said.

“Whenever the floods hit, people couldn’t go any further [and] sell produce, but at least some of the people locally were able to get access to that shop,” she said.

People are now looking at what they can do to conserve water, to make sure they are not isolated and cut off again in future, either because of drought or flooding, she said.

“Next rainy season, October to December time, nobody knows what that is going to bring. It is living with that uncertainty that makes life extremely difficult.

“If they plant seeds in anticipation that the rains will come and then they come as heavy as they did, then everything is washed away.

“If they don’t plant seeds and the rains come and they are soft rains, then they have missed an opportunity,” Rosamond told Agriland.

Speaking about the importance of drought-resistant seeds, she said that the organisation is trying to encourage people to diversify what they are growing which will also make it easier to sell in the market.

Rosamond said it is about working with the community and trying to figure out ways to grow crops that will adapt to their environment. However, the biggest issue is that it is hard to know how the environment will change due to climate change.

In self-help groups people who are able to produce their own food are working with the most vulnerable. “While things are difficult for everybody, there is a real community spirit.

“It is not just every person to themselves. Even in their most difficult days they will still think of someone with a disability or someone who is a widow, someone who needs more support from them.

“I find that very uplifting to see. It would be very easy to, whenever things are not going well, just focus on yourself, but people are not doing that,” Rosamond said.

What will the future look like?

Speaking about the nervousness and the anxiety felt by the communities around whether there will be future rains, Rosamond told Agriland:

“How do they collect the water now? How do they protect themselves from drought in the future? The anxiety was very real.

“The rain came but it didn’t reassure anyone, because how are we going to manage in future? Is this what our lives will be like? Five drought seasons followed by a flood season?”

A lot of the people she met with are herders who walk from one area to another to find water and pasture for their livestock. However, the organisation wants to ensure that children go to school.

“We don’t think there is a future in this way of life anymore. Children need to be educated to find another way to make a living,” Rosamond said.

One of the herders she met with during her latest visit to Marsabit county is Diboya Kombe, a 35-year-old herder and mother of three from Ngurnit, Laisamis.

Diboya received €75 a month in local currency for three months to help cope with the impact of the drought from Christian Aid’s local partner, the Pastoralist Community Initiative and Development Assistance (PACIDA), with funding from Irish Aid.

“We depend on livestock and then the drought came. It was a long drought that killed all of the livestock. There was no rain, people were hungry, there was nothing to eat.

“We have survived but we have not really caught up because all of the livestock died,” Diboya, who had 20 goats before the drought which were a source of meat, milk, and income for her family, said.

Before receiving cash support, she said there was a time when her family didn’t eat breakfast, lunch or supper. She now uses the cash to pay school fees for her son, bought a school uniform as well as three goats.

There have now been three months without rain, and it is no longer green like before, Diboya, who still lives in fear of another drought, said. “It will be the drought that kills us,” she added.

Rosamond believes that people in Ireland and the UK are beginning to realise the impacts of climate change. “We have just experienced our wettest July on record, but it hasn’t affected us in terms of being unable to eat, or our livestock has died,” she said.

Everyone needs to be focused on climate targets, she said, and it is a “fact” that developed countries like Ireland and the UK have “contributed and caused climate change”.

“We have a responsibility to not just help people adapt to climate change, but we got to pay for the damage that has been caused as a result of climate change.

“We know that we as a developed world have helped and created that,” Rosamond said.

Early this year Agriland reported about how climate change has left millions without food in northern Kenya. Click on the link below to read about how the situation has changed over the last months.

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The Scottish government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French region of Brittany relating to the offshore renewables industry.

The cooperation agreement aims to strengthen Scotland’s position as a “leader” in Europe’s offshore renewables industry, the government said.

The MoU, which is the first of its kind for Scotland with a region in France, will provide Scottish companies with opportunities to share best practices on the expansion of offshore wind projects off the coast of Brittany.

The Scottish government said the MoU will also instigate a programme of actions that will cover institutional relations, culture and heritage, education and research, fisheries and diaspora.

Attending the first ever Celtic Forum today in Brittany, Deputy First Minister Shona Robinson said: “Scotland is working with our partners in Europe and this MoU…will help us collaborate across a range of topics.

“The people of Scotland resoundingly rejected Brexit, yet it has caused significant adverse impacts to our economy and trade relations.

“In spite of this, the Scottish government remains firmly committed to developing partnerships with our European neighbours.”

Robinson said the Scottish government is keen to maximise opportunities for Scottish companies to learn from their “Celtic partners” as the country looks towards a future with cleaner and greener energy.

“Scotland’s rich renewables endowment means we can not only generate enough cheap green electricity to power Scotland’s economy, but can also export electricity to our neighbours, supporting jobs here in Scotland and the decarbonisation ambitions of our partners,” she said.

Businesses development director of offshore energy company Swift Anchors, Michael Hook, said the company is keen to capitalise on the opportunities it expects to see from the deployment of floating offshore wind in Brittany waters.

“We applaud the steps being taken by the Scottish government and Brittany’s regional government to establish closer economic and cultural ties,” he said.

“With the help of Scottish Development International, we have established good links within Brittany following a series of joint initiatives including Swift Anchors’ attendance at the Bretagne Ocean Power event in Rennes earlier this year, where the quality of engagement and depth of interest in our anchoring solutions and potential collaboration were evident.

“Today’s agreement between the two governments gives us further encouragement to our business efforts in Brittany.”

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The UK’s only independently-run oil supplier is transitioning to alternative fuel sources thanks to a distribution partnership with the global energy giant, Shell.

North-east-based oil distributor, Your NRG, has entered into a major partnership with Shell to help provide their alternative GTL fuel to agriculture businesses across the country. 

According to the company, the gas-to-liquid (GTL fuel) includes far fewer harmful materials than standard crude oils, resulting in a cleaner burn, reduced emissions, and better starting performance.

The company, which delivers over 300 million litres of heating oil to homes and businesses across the country, has said that the partnership with Shell is a major step towards their own environmental goals in line with the UK’s net zero ambitions.

Shell

According to Shell, GTL fuel can result in up to 37% reduction in NOx (nitrogen oxide) pollution for public transport vehicles, and up to 90% reduction in particulate matter for other machinery such as tractors and cultivators.

Commercial director at Your NRG, Lee Reason, noted that being an ‘authorised distributor’ of the cleaner GTL fuel is a “big step for the future fuels market” in the UK and will go a long way to “reducing harmful emissions”. 

“We believe that Shell’s GTL fuel will play an important role in the transition to creating a cleaner, greener future for all, as we work towards achieving our ambitious 2050 net zero goals.”

According to the companies, further benefits of GTL fuel include:

• High performance cetane level improves starting conditions in cold temperatures; 
• Noise reduction in some engines as a result of more uniformed combustion;
• Readily biodegradable and non-toxic.

Though an efficient fuel source, diesel is also known for its high sulphur content and emitting of particulate matter, both of which result in adverse effects on health and air quality, Your NRG stated.

The GTL alternative fuel minimises these adverse effects while purportedly maintaining the same efficiency as standard diesel.

Shell GTL fuel commercial manager Nabeel Uddin added: “We are pleased to partner with Your NRG as our latest branded reseller of Shell GTL fuel.

“It will enable more UK customers to access Shell’s synthetic fuel to help reduce harmful tailpipe emissions.”

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The announcement comes from data received through the latest climate reanalysis, from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

The data shows that the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record and it is “extremely likely” that the entire month will be the hottest ever.

According to CS3, these temperatures have been related to heatwaves in large parts of North America, Asia and Europe, along with wildfires in countries including Canada and Greece.

The climate service said these weather events “had major impacts on people’s health, the environment and economies”.

Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service at ECMWF, Carlo Buontempo said: “July’s record is unlikely to remain isolated this year.

“C3S seasonal forecasts indicate that over land areas temperatures are likely to be well above average, exceeding the 80th percentile of climatology for the time of year.”

July breakdown

On July 6, the daily average global mean surface air temperature surpassed the record set in August 2016, making it the hottest day on record, with July 5 and July 7 shortly behind.

Global mean temperature temporarily exceeded the 1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels during the first and third week of the month (within observational error).

Since May, the global average sea surface temperature has been well above previously observed values for the time of the year.

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary general Prof., Petteri Taalas said:

“The extreme weather which has affected many millions of people in July is unfortunately the harsh reality of climate change and a foretaste of the future.”

WMO predicts that there is a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record.

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Following confirmation that discoloured discharge entered the Cleddau river from an effluent treatment plant at First Milk, an investigation by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is underway.

First Milk confirmed that there was “a period of two hours” on Saturday, July 22 when discoloured discharge came from the “Haverfordwest Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) to the western Cleddau river”.

Fiona Hourahine, regulation and permitting operations manager at NRW, said: “Natural Resources Wales received a report from First Milk of a discharge incident on Saturday, 22 July and this is being investigated.

“We are also continuing our investigations following multiple concerns of pollution incidents on the western Cleddau.

“We take our role as environmental regulator seriously and where any non-compliance is found, we will take further action to ensure permits are complied with effectively.”

First Milk apology

Shelagh Hancock, chief executive of First Milk said: “I want to acknowledge and apologise for the issues that we have had at our Haverfordwest effluent treatment facility that have led to discoloured discharges and solids going into the river.”

Hancock explained that First Milk is actively working to “ensure” the risk of “any reoccurence in the future” is minimised.

Hancock said: “This includes the installation of additional filtration mechanisms and we have stepped up our levels of monitoring of the treatment plant to ensure we are making positive and effective changes. 

“While we’ve taken these immediate actions, we’re committed to making continued investment to reduce our impact further.  

“There are many contributing factors that affect the water quality in the western Cleddau, we are engaging with the local community and other organisations to understand what can be done more widely to improve the local environment in the long term,” she added.

“As a business that is committed to sustainability and to doing the right thing, we are taking these issues very seriously and are working hard to make things better.”

A statement from First Milk on Monday July 24, shared a similar approach at the time, as it announced: “We are working hard to minimise the risk of issues arising with the ETP at our Haverfordwest Creamery, including around the clock monitoring and the recent installation of additional filtration mechanisms.”

The statement from First Milk explained that the weather experienced over last weekend contributed to the incident with the discoloured discharge into the Cleddau river.

“Due to the exceptionally high levels of rainfall on Saturday, combined with some short-term operational challenges, the plant was unable to cope adequately for a small period of time, which led to the short-term discoloration,” First Milk stated.

“We immediately took steps to rectify this situation whilst self-reporting this incident to Natural Resources Wales.”

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Tesco has teamed up with Harper Adams University’s School of Sustainable Food and Farming (SSFF) to give 75 young farmers a chance to develop their skills in sustainable agriculture.

The Future Farmer Programme will consist of face-to-face and live online training on how to implement sustainable agriculture practices and protect biodiversity.

The nine-month course, which will run each year for the next three years, will also include events and mentoring sessions on business operations and personal development.

It will be split into three focus areas: Understanding Sustainability, which will explore the key drivers and opportunities for the industry; Agile Mindsets, which will help participants identify their own strengths, capabilities and weaknesses; and Agile Business, will help participants structure and adapt their business, existing or new, and to identify new opportunities and methods for a sustainable future.

“The transition to more sustainable food production systems is a significant change for many farmers, and so understanding these issues, identifying the opportunities they present, and being prepared to make change is the key focus of the course,” Simon Thelwell, director of the SSFF at Harper Adams University commented.

Farmers under the age of 40 from across different agricultural sectors and at different stages of their development will be encouraged to apply for the programme, via Harper Adams University, ahead of its start date in October.

Training costs are fully funded, however delegates will need to cover the costs of traveling to and from events.

Speaking at the launch of the programme at the Royal Welsh Show, Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s chief product officer said:

“British agriculture plays a crucial role in protecting and enhancing our natural environment and will be right at the heart of the UK’s efforts to achieve its net zero ambitions.

“It’s also had to overcome some incredibly tough challenges over the past two years, which is why we’re committed to supporting it, both now and in the future.”

“With this in mind, I’m delighted to be launching this new programme with Harper Adams University, which will see some of the brightest young talents in the industry benefit from training and support in implementing sustainable agriculture techniques, helping to safeguard the industry, and our natural environment, for future generations.”

As part of the Partnership with SSFF, Tesco is also funding research projects aimed at addressing some of the key sustainability challenges affecting agriculture.

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The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP), which is co-funded by the Welsh Government, sets out in the report how Welsh farming can be supported “to unlock more rapid progress” towards the Welsh Government’s net zero ambitions.

One of the key messages in the report, commissioned by the Welsh government, is that reductions in livestock are “beneficial” to reduce agricultural emissions.

The WCPP report on “How could Wales feed itself in 2035?” also states that “it is a case of what we farm and not how we farm that will make the biggest difference”.

According to the WCPP agriculture is predicted to be the largest source of emissions in Wales in 2035, as “other sectors decarbonise more quickly”.

Farming in Wales predominantly consists of sheep and cattle grazing, with just 6% of farms devoted to crops and horticulture.

An estimated 95% of Welsh beef and lamb products are currently purchased and eaten in other countries, while the amount of fruit and vegetables grown locally annually amounts to just a quarter of a portion per person per day on average.

According to the WCPP report evidence suggests a mix of “land sharing and land sparing” approaches are the best path to reducing emissions.

Livestock emissions

The WCPP reported that: “Agricultural emissions in Wales have increased since 2016 due to livestock farming, with direct methane emissions from livestock alone making up 61% of agricultural emissions in Wales”.

“Agriculture is also a significant source of air, soil and water pollution, with a range of consequences for biodiversity and human health.”

The report added that: “Agriculture is the second biggest contributor of reported river pollution incidents in Wales (after the water industry) of which, almost half come from dairy farming”.

Agriculture is responsible for 81% of ammonia pollution, due to a reversal in the trend of reductions in fertiliser use, increased slurry spreading and an increase in emissions from cattle.

In order to reduce agricultural emissions, the WCPP recommends “a reduction in livestock farming as well as changes in farming practices to mitigate livestock emissions”.

Livestock and livestock products currently account for 86% of Wales’ agricultural output, with 76% of Wales’ utilised agricultural area being grassland for livestock grazing.

The findings of the report show that: “Changes to animal feed and interventions to increase livestock and pasture productivity indicate that these alone will not be sufficient to achieve significant cuts to agricultural emissions”.

“Overall it is what we farm more than how we farm that drives the climate consequences of Welsh agriculture.”

It has been forecast that Wales will see some climate related improvements in the first half of this century, followed by an overall deterioration of land-quality by 2080, mainly as a result of changes in rainfall.

Land use in Wales

The findings of the report have shown that as 86% of Welsh agricultural land is used for livestock grazing, enhancing land use to reduce emissions is of high importance.

“To be effective in driving absolute reductions in emissions, any reductions in the emissions intensity of livestock production must therefore be combined with measures to limit overall demand and or land use.”

The WCPP recommends that “releasing some of this land for other, more carbon efficient uses
(such as afforestation or agroforestry) could enable significant additional mitigation from
agricultural landscapes”.

“Reducing demand for livestock not only combines with supply-side options to reduce absolute agricultural emissions, but also creates new opportunities for the use of finite land resources in the context of net zero.”

“Every credible model for achieving emissions neutrality requires agricultural land to be relinquished, so that it can be used in ways that enhance our natural carbon sinks (largely woodlands and peat bogs) and compensate for residual emissions elsewhere in the economy.”

The report also stated that: “Freeing up the additional land that will be required without compromising food security, will only be possible through shifts in demand towards not only less emissions-intensive, but also less land-intensive food production systems”.

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DAERA announced on Friday (July 21) that it had launched a call for evidence on its Future Operational Protocol to assess the impacts of air pollutants, such as ammonia, on the natural environment.

The call will be open for eight weeks until September 15.

According to DAERA, the call is part of an effort to address “the growing problem” of ammonia emissions from agricultural activities and the effect on sensitive habitats and biodiversity across Northern Ireland.

The department said that current policy is to deliver a solution which achieves “both a protected and improved environment and a sustainable agriculture sector”.

The call for evidence follows on from a recent consultation on a draft ammonia strategy.

The Future Operational Protocol is used by DAERA to provide advice to planning authorities and other competent authorities on the potential impacts of air pollution from plans and projects on designated sites and protected habitats.

A DAERA spokesperson said: “This call for evidence presents available scientific evidence, taking account of legal requirements, and drawing upon expertise from subject area specialists. However, we recognise that we may not have access to all evidence of relevance.

“Therefore, stakeholders are invited to submit additional evidence that will contribute to the development and delivery of a scientifically robust, evidence-informed, operational protocol.”

However, the UFU, while saying that the call for evidence is “long overdue”, expressed worries over the proposals for planning assessments included in the call, saying these are “extremely concerning for the future of the Northern Ireland agri-food industry”.

The farm organisation said the proposals have “the potential to prevent sustainable on-farm development”.

UFU president David Brown commented: “Ammonia is a very complex issue and our farmers are very much aware of this. However, at first glance, the proposed policy is very concerning for agriculture.”

“The suggested ammonia assessments will have implications for all sectors and farms of all sizes that wish to develop and will ripple into the wider agri-food sector and beyond.

“[Northern Irish] farmers must be allowed to develop and modernise sustainably so they can reduce emissions and improve animal health and welfare while producing high-quality food for a growing population,” Brown added.

He continued: “If the ammonia planning protocol does not support them to do this, their farms will become inefficient, and it will be impossible for their businesses to remain competitive.

The UFU president said that agri-businesses, the rural economy, communities, and consumers will be “severely affected” by this. He called for a “balanced way forward” that allows farmers to develop and deliver ammonia reductions.

“While we are encouraged that DAERA has recognised that farms modernising and replacing existing structures without expansion should be treated differently within the planning protocol, the proposals still remain extremely challenging on this aspect.”

Brown said that the UFU will be seeking “expert advice” on all areas of the call for evidence document.

“We will also take time to review and discuss it within our UFU structure to support us in providing a robust response. This is vital to ensure that family farms have a viable and prosperous future,” he added.

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This is one of the findings of a major four-year project currently underway at Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).

Ammonia is produced when faeces (which contains the enzyme urease) and urine (which contains urea) mix, with this process taking place on the floors of livestock houses, during slurry storage and at field spreading.

The ammonia gas produced enters the atmosphere and may be deposited locally on sensitive habitats, where the nitrogen within ammonia can cause nutrient enrichment of soil and water and lead to biodiversity loss. 

Both livestock production and sensitive habitats have a significant presence in Northern Ireland and, as such, ammonia emissions present a key challenge for the livestock industry in order to support the health of sensitive habitats. 

Lowering crude protein

AFBI is partnering with John Thompsons and Sons Ltd., and Trouw Nutrition Ltd., in developing the new project. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs ( DAERA) funding is also available.

In one of the studies within this project, dairy cows were offered diets containing either 14%, 15.5% or 17% crude protein on a dry matter (DM) basis, with the concentrates offered with each treatment formulated using different raw material inclusion levels.

During this study samples of faeces and urine produced from cows on each diet were collected and subsequently mixed and incubated in a temperature-controlled environment.

Ammonia produced from the different manures was then measured over a four-week period using a photo-acoustic gas monitor.

The work has confirmed that reducing dietary crude protein levels from 17% to 14% reduced ammonia emissions by an average of 64%, with emissions from the 15.5% crude protein diet intermediate in nature.

Bigger picture

In addition, the AFBI work clearly demonstrates that ammonia production was highest during the days after the faeces and urine were produced, and gradually decrease over time.

The background document produced by DAERA as part of Northern Ireland’s recent ammonia consultation contextualises the current AFBI work extremely well.

It specifically points out that action on this matter is required urgently, in order to achieve better outcomes for nature, and for public health.

In other words, addressing this challenge is essential to see agriculture thrive while at the same time protecting our environment.

The greater the extent and speed of action to lower ammonia emissions and reduce ammonia concentrations, the greater opportunity there will be to support sustainable farm development.

Northern Ireland has 394 sites of high nature conservation value designated for their protection.

Almost 250 of these are sensitive to the impacts of ammonia and nitrogen. The vast majority of designated sites are currently experiencing ammonia concentrations and nitrogen deposition above the critical levels and loads at which damage to plants may occur.

As a consequence, sustained and tangible reductions in ammonia are required to protect nature, to meet Northern Ireland’s legal obligations and to ensure a sustainable agri-food sector.

Ammonia targets

DAERA has set two 2030 ammonia targets. These are 1) to reduce total agricultural ammonia emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels and 2) to reduce ammonia levels at internationally designated sites by 40% by 2030.

There are two pillars to the envisaged ammonia abatement strategy that has been proposed by DAERA. Pillar 1 comprises ambitious and verifiable ammonia reduction programme with Pillar 2 centred on conservation actions to protect and restore nature.

The establishment of a stakeholder group, representing primary agriculture, the agri-food supply chain and the environmental sector, has been proposed to advise on implementation of the finally agreed measures.

The steps that can be taken on farm to reduce ammonia production and emission levels are multi-faceted.

The uptake of verifiable ammonia reduction technology in livestock housing will be encouraged. There will also be a requirement to spread all slurry using low emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment by 2026.

Trials have shown that nitrogen excretion levels in cows’ urine can more than double if dietary protein levels are boosted from 14% to 19%.

This process, in itself, puts an additional energy demand and increases the metabolic stress on the cow.

The fact that urea is a very volatile chemical means that a high proportion of it is lost to the atmosphere when slurry is spread on land.

Urea is also very water soluble. As a consequence, it can add to the pollution threat posed by slurry.

Typically, the nitrogen efficiency of dairy cow diets will be in the region of 22% to 32%.

Reducing emissions

Developing verifiable systems to encourage implementation of longer grazing seasons has significant potential for the future.

The need to reduce ammonia emissions from fertiliser will include a consultation on the potential introduction of a prohibition on the use of urea fertiliser without an inhibitor in 2024.

Establishing systems to implement and verify crude protein reductions in livestock diets can play a key role in reducing farm ammonia production levels, as will the identification and selection of genetic traits that maximise nutrient use efficiency.

In addition, supporting protein crop establishment is already available, courtesy of a pilot scheme.

And, finally steps will be taken to encourage the development and implementation of emerging technologies for ammonia reduction.

Livestock diets

It is universally agreed that reducing crude protein in livestock diets has a significant influence on ammonia emissions.

Reducing the amount of nitrogen in animal feed reduces the amount in excreta, leading to less of the nutrient being available for ammonia generation.

Scientific research shows that ammonia emissions are reduced by 8-10% for every 1% fall in crude protein in pig diets.

Ammonia reductions of up to 35% are thought to be possible in poultry diets.

Across the livestock sectors, including cattle, it is envisaged that reducing crude protein in all livestock diets can achieve an industry wide reduction in ammonia of around 9%.

Trials have shown that nitrogen excretion levels in cows’ urine can more than double if dietary protein levels are boosted from 14% to 19%.

This process, in itself, puts an additional energy demand and increases the metabolic stress on the cow.

Typically, the nitrogen efficiency of dairy cow diets in Northern Ireland will be in the region of 22% to 32%.

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Agricultural organisations in New Zealand have voiced their approach to managing the control of livestock away from waterbodies in a submission to New Zealand’s government.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), Federated Farmers, and Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), in a joint submission, have called on the government to work with the sector on a fair and workable solution to keep beef cattle and deer away from waterbodies.

These farm organisations believe that a freshwater farm plan (FWFP) may be the best option to manage the exclusion of livestock from water sources.

FWFPs are a tool for farmers and growers to show how they are protecting the freshwater resources on their properties.

B+LNZ CEO Sam McIvor said: “Our initial analysis of the options indicates that FWFPs, either as an exception or alternative, could be the best option.”

The submission was delivered to New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment and Ministry for Primary Industries regarding the Stock Exclusion Regulations 2020.

Joint submission

These farm organisations conducted much of their research based on the responses of over 340 farmers that had partaken in a survey.

The findings included:

• There is an impracticality of fencing; both in terms of costs, and risk of damage from floods;
• There is consensus in the farming community that there needs to be some control over stock in waterbodies, farmers just want simple and fair options to manage this;
• There is a lack of confidence in regulatory direction overall;
• That the low slope map is inaccurate.

The joint submission states: “The use of low slope land as a proxy for identifying intensively farmed land is inherently flawed as it assumes that land with a slope between 0-5° will have a high stocking rate and that this will result in adverse environmental effects.”

The consultation material considers removing or creating exceptions to the low slope map.

“This is a positive step forward and reflects the low impact nature of most non-intensively grazed beef cattle and deer farming systems, regardless of slope,” the submission said.

The joint submission supports the intent of the proposed changes to the stock exclusion regulations to prioritise exclusion of stock where it provides an efficient and effective method of preventing the direct deposition of pathogens, and damage to the bed or banks of waterbodies.

McIvor said: “B+LNZ, Federated Farmers and DINZ want to work with government to help develop this detail to ensure that changes to the regulations are outcome-driven, practical, fair, and workable for farmers.”

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The claim was made today (Thursday, July 20) by an Israel-based development business, Nitrofix.

The company’s patented technology uses water as a source of protons instead of fossil fuels.

It is also claimed that the new system reduces the activation energy needed to combine nitrogen with hydrogen – using half as much electricity as other alternatives working within this sphere of technology.

Ammonia

Unlike traditional carbon-intensive ammonia methods, the Nitrofix catalyst for ammonia enables electrochemical reactions to take place at low-voltage and low-power consumption levels.

Up to now, ammonia has been produced commercially, for the most part, using the Haber-Bosch process, which is very fossil fuel reliant.

Nitrofix’s CEO, Ophira Melamed, told Agriland: “We guarantee the production of ammonia with a zero carbon footprint. Our system is based on an electrochemical process.

“Energy will be required to drive this process. However, this can be sourced on a totally renewable basis.”

According to Nitrofix, global ammonia demand is expected to increase threefold by 2050. The chemical can be used within a range of scenarios.

These include the production of fertilisers for use within production agriculture. Ammonia is also used as a coolant in air conditioning and is a maritime fuel source.

Within agriculture, ammonia is used directly as a nitrogen fertiliser source in countries like the US. It is also used in the production of urea.

Nitrofix hopes to sell its ammonia manufacturing systems to customers around the world over the coming years.

According to Melamed, the new Nitrofix technology will act to break the link between ammonia production and natural gas prices.

The ammonia price will then become linked to the strength, or otherwise, of renewable energy markets.   

Fertiliser prices

Currently, in excess of 50% of global food production is dependent upon access to ammonia.

Nitrofix has also confirmed the securing of US$3.1 million in seed financing to accelerate the development processes associated with its ammonia production-related systems.

Meanwhile, international markets for ammonia and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) are strengthening.

Grassland Agro managing director, Liam Woulfe, has confirmed that prices for urea and CAN have increased by €80/t and €40/t respectively over the past fortnight.

“These trends will be reflected in Irish fertiliser prices during the period ahead. But the trade will act to keep such increases to the absolute minimum,” he told Agriland.

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The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has decided to partner with ITN Business to showcase the positive impact of livestock on the environment and the food system.

Livestock agriculture is perceived to be one of the biggest contributors towards climate change and pollution, but could hold a key to creating a sustainable food system, with a positive impact on the environment, according to AHDB.

By 2050, the global population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion, and to meet dietary demands food production must increase by 70%.

AHDB partnership

To raise awareness and understanding of the importance of livestock and the role it has to play in feeding the population sustainably, the AHDB has partnered with ITN Business to produce news-style programme ‘Farming a Greener Future’.

The programme will be anchored by journalist and news presenter Duncan Golestani from the ITN London studio and will look at the positive contribution livestock makes to society.

The programme will explore key themes including:

• Dispelling the myths around livestock agriculture;
• Livestock’s unique role in providing and supporting nature-based solutions to climate change and nature decline while producing a nutritious, quality food source;
• Delivering food security for a growing global population to support health.

AHDB’s divisional director of engagement, Will Jackson, said: “The reputation of our industry is a core priority for AHDB, and we are delighted to be able to partner with ITN to deliver a critical message about our livestock industry.

“Too often the public narrative about the impact of livestock is a negative one, while their unique ability to provide both solutions for climate change, nature decline, and food security is either ignored or misunderstood.

“AHDB hopes to shed light on this and encourages anyone who would like to be part of highlighting livestock’s unique abilities to join us in this partnership.”

Programme on positives of livestock

Launching in November, ‘Farming a Greener Future’ will combine expert interviews, news items and reporter-led sponsored editorial profiles.

The programme will be hosted on the ITN Business content hub and will be supported by a digital advertising campaign.

Nina Harrison-Bell, head of ITN Business, spoke about the partnership with AHDB: “This is a really interesting partnership for ITN Business.

“By partnering with AHDB, we hope to share the many benefits of livestock farming, such as the nutritious food for the global population, the jobs it provides and positive impacts for our planet.”

There are commercial opportunities for leading organisations to be featured in the programme and spearhead their own news item.

AHDB is looking for organisations contributing towards food security, delivering nature-based solutions and positively impacting the environment, to take part and share their story.

AHDB is a statutory levy board funded by farmers and others in the supply chain. It said its purpose is to be a critical enabler, to positively influence outcomes, allowing farmers and others in the supply chain to be competitive, successful and share good practice.

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Global food corporation, Cargill has partnered with TREES Consulting to develop a Gold Standard-approved beef methodology.

It reportedly offers the global beef industry a framework for measuring methane emissions reduction using feed supplements that have been incorporated into beef cattle diets.

Methane emissions

Gold Standard’s certification process allows climate and sustainable development initiatives to quantify, manage and maximise their impacts toward climate security, and requires verifiable impact toward three or more of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The new beef methodology defines a set of parameters that beef producers can adopt to quantify reductions in methane emissions, a greenhouse gas (GHG) that is derived from enteric fermentation (digestion process) in cattle through eructation (burping), as well as from manure handling.

According to the company, the new methodology is now available for beef producers worldwide to quantify, audit and verify methane reductions, enabling them to register their GHG mitigation project for Gold Standard certification.

Gold Standard’s Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs) can be traded in carbon markets, allowing credit purchasers to directly support the projects.

Cargill has said that these efforts can also be recognised in corporate value chains, whereby beef producers and food companies account for the reduction in supply chain GHG emissions, which contributes to their Scope 3 targets.

Cargill

Through its Reach4Reduction programme, Cargill said that it is taking a holistic approach to methane reduction by uncovering the potential of feed management and nutrition to do more with less, helping to ensure food security while protecting the planet.

The company said that it is working to accelerate progress by supporting producers with managing on-farm productivity to improve feed conversion rates, optimising animal health and nutrition, and innovating with new additives and solutions that reduce methane and nitrogen emissions directly.

For beef producers who are adopting these technologies, the new methodology ‘Reducing Methane Emissions from Enteric Fermentation in Beef Cattle through Application of Feed Supplements’ will enable them to accurately quantify the reduction of methane emissions and can provide them with opportunities to add value to their efforts.

Joanne Sharpe, Cargill’s global ruminant sustainability lead said: “We know that the industry is looking for more accurate tools to measure methane reduction.

“As producers look at their current levels of production efficiency and work toward sustainability goals, we are committed to finding ways to ensure they can be recognised and rewarded for their efforts.”

Margaret Kim, CEO, Gold Standard added: “Changing agricultural practice can help reduce methane emissions, and this new methodology provides beef producers with a way to reliably measure the impact of those changes.

“Cargill’s support is helping pave the way for the animal agriculture industry to reduce methane emissions and it complements Gold Standard’s other efforts to reduce the impact of agriculture on our planet – such as our recently published methodology which reduces the methane emitted by rice production.”

Methodology

In practice, projects using the new methodology first establish a baseline for emissions during “business as usual” activities for a minimum of three continuous years.

The cattle given feed supplements must be clearly identified and tracked over the course of the project.

The project crediting period is set at five years, and can be renewed for an additional five years, excluding the baseline years.

“We were thrilled to collaborate on the development of the methodology, which will provide the beef industry with an important framework for advancing methane reduction,” Martin Gehrig, TREES Consulting added.

Gold Standard was established in 2003 by Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as a best practice standard to help the world #GrowToZero.

All Gold Standard-certified projects and programmes accelerate progress toward the net-zero ambition of the Paris Climate Agreement.

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Urgent action is needed for UK farming to be sustainable, a new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank has said.

However the report, Reaping the rewards: Cultivating a fair transition for farming, adds that farmers should not be left with the responsibility for the transition to climate and nature-friendly farming alone.

The IPPR recommends that the government take a greater role within the food system and says “urgent action” is needed.

Luke Murphy, co-author of the report said: “The lack of a government strategy for our food and farming sector has serious consequences.  

“The government must provide long-term financial support for the transition [to sustainable farming], and strengthen trade policy to guarantee environmental and worker standards.

“It must protect British farmers from being undercut by food produced to lower standards abroad.”

Lesley Rankin, co-author of the report said: “If we are serious about ensuring food security and leaving our environment in a better state than we found it for generations to come, it is crucial we act immediately and involve farmers and communities every step of the way”.

Among the findings discussed in the report are:

• That trade deals struck since Brexit are undercutting British farmers and climate goals, while exporting the UK’s carbon and ecological footprint elsewhere in the world;
• The UK’s food system is too wasteful, is skewed towards highly processed food and is environmentally damaging;
• Food poverty is an increasing problem with lower-income households who are disproportionately affected by food price rises and less able to afford a good diet.

Sustainable UK food production

For the urgent action to create a transition to sustainable UK food production, the IPPR included various recommendations for how it can be achieved.

The think tank recommended that the government allocate £2.4 billion a year for the next decade in England for environmental land priorities.

It also recommends that the government end subsidies in the form of de-linked payments to farms with over £100,000 net annual profit from food sales, starting in 2024.

£58 million should be the annual increase of the Environment Agency funding, according to the IPPR, in order to ensure it has the capacity to “inspect, support and apply sanctions to farms, as needed”.

Further recommendations from the IPPR report include:

• The creation of a food partnership and a council lead on food in every local area to support local food strategies which account for local concerns and dynamics, aligned with national priorities and targets;

• Increase investment in future farmers and farm workers through investing in local apprenticeships and training colleges and promoting the sector as a career choice;

• Mandating food waste disclosure for large food businesses who must account for waste through the whole supply chain;

• New primary legislation to ensure imports are produced to the same environmental, climate, animal welfare, workers’ rights, and food safety standards as domestic produce;

• A national land use framework with a target to shift 32-57% of farmland by 2050 away from livestock use, and towards nature restoration and natural carbon sequestration;

The IPPR also recommends that the granting of right of first refusal to buy farming land for sale, to rebuild county farms or similar structures for access to land and sustainable food growing should be supported by a new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs funding scheme, local authorities, and community organisations.

A package of support for farmers that includes a long-term budget for payments based on environmental need, support for those affected by energy prices, a plan to move to renewable energy sources, and more support for training and advice, through the development of peer-to-peer environmental farming networks.

The IPPR recommends that “shifting away from animal feed, meat, and dairy production should be accompanied by a significant investment in horticulture”.

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The UK is “dangerously unprepared” in terms of cooling abilities should the climate targets be missed, a new study has warned.

However, it’s not alone; Switzerland and Norway have also been singled out by researchers from the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Cooling.

According to the researchers, these are the three countries that will see the largest relative surges in days that require cooling interventions – such as window shutters, ventilation, fans, or air conditioning – if the world surpasses 1.5° of warming.

Switzerland and the UK will see a 30% increase in days with uncomfortably hot temperatures, while Norway will see an increase of 28%.

However, researchers stress that this is a conservative estimate as it does not take into account extreme weather events such as heatwaves.

According to the researchers’ study – Change in cooling degree days with global mean temperature increasing from 1.5 °C to 2.0 °C – published in the scientific journal Nature Sustainability, 8 of the 10 countries with the greatest relative increase in uncomfortably hot days are expected to be in Northern Europe.

Cooling

A lack of preparation for these cooling-requirement days could be bad news for the agriculture sector as these days would not only put heat stress on people, animals and crops, but the increased use of some cooling systems would increase emissions.

“Without adequate interventions to promote sustainable cooling we are likely to see a sharp increase in the use of energy-guzzling systems like air conditioning, which could further increase emissions and lock us into a vicious cycle of burning fossil fuels to make us feel cooler while making the world outside hotter,” explained Dr. Radhika Khosla, Associate Professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and leader of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Cooling.

And, according to Dr. Khosla, “cooling barely has a mention in the UK’s net zero strategy”.

However, there is hope, according to co-lead author Dr. Jesus Lizan.

“If we adapt the built environment in which we live, we won’t need to increase air conditioning,” Dr. Lizan said.

“But right now, in countries like the UK, our buildings act like greenhouses – no external protection from the sun in buildings, windows locked, no natural ventilation and no ceiling fans. Our buildings are exclusively prepared for the cold seasons.”

Co-lead author Dr. Nicole Miranda added: “Northern European countries will require large-scale adaptation to heat resilience quicker than other countries. The UK saw massive amounts of disruption in the record-breaking heatwaves of 2022.

“Extreme heat can lead to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and even death, especially in vulnerable populations. It’s a health and economic imperative that we prepare for more hot days.”

However, the top ten countries that will experience the highest needs for cooling overall in a 2.0° scenario are all in Africa.

This, Dr. Khosla said, is a “clear indication that Africa is bearing the brunt of a problem they did not create, which should further strengthen calls for climate justice and equity”.

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The Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCx3), which represents a four-year, £5.9 million research project, has been officially launched.

It has been established to help UK farmers and growers target net zero in the most efficient way possible.

The new body will also enable new revenue sources for farmers and growers through a carbon marketplace while also supporting enhanced value chains for industries such as textiles and construction.

The project will run from now through to 2027. It is supported by a consortium of 22 industry and research partners and will be led by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB).

Carbon capture cropping

The research undertaken will focus on four cropping options: Rotational cover crops; annual fibre crops (industrial hemp and flax); perennial food, forage and feed crops (including cereals and herbal leys); and perennial biomass crops (miscanthus, willow and poplar).

In addition to evaluating their potential to enhance atmospheric carbon capture and sequestration in the soil and crop-based products, CHCx3 will examine the effects of cultivation system and agronomy on economic returns and other environmental outcomes.

Further work will optimise the production and use of renewable biomaterials for fibre, textiles, and construction and develop carbon insetting/offsetting platforms.

CHCx3 will provide resources to support the effective uptake and utilisation of crops with high carbon capture potential, with practical outputs such as crop guides, web tools and apps available to landowners, farmers and agronomists.

The project will also offer a wealth of opportunities for its many stakeholders to engage with and participate in the ongoing research, including crop trials, field demonstrations, webinars, workshops and training.

Project Lead and head of the NIAB Innovation Farm, Dr. Lydia Smith, believes that crop choice, management and utilisation all offer opportunities.

“Farmers and associated industries can address climate change goals through input-efficient crops that are able to increase carbon capture,” she said.

“But they must have confidence in achieving profitable and sustainable outcomes.”

NIAB director of agronomy, Stuart Knight, agrees. He believes that CHCx3 will build on the institute’s extensive programme of crop diversity, farming systems and soils research.

“The project will kick-start vital new collaborations between researchers, seed suppliers, growers and industries seeking to realise the full potential of crop-based products, establish new revenue opportunities within the carbon market, and give a major boost to our shared aim of achieving net zero,” he said.

CHCx3 has been awarded funding by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under the Farming Futures research and development (R&D) Fund: Climate Smart Farming.

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The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) and Royal Holloway, University of London, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreeing to collaborate on science and agriculture research projects and develop knowledge exchange opportunities, as well as sharing teaching and outreach expertise.

The MoU will enhance the knowledge of both institutions through Royal Holloway’s world-renowned research in biological science and with the RAU as one of the UK’s leading agricultural universities for sustainable farming and land management.

This complementary expertise is aimed at developing solutions for the practical challenges in agriculture and horticulture which will enhance the impact of food security research at both Royal Holloway and the RAU.

Royal Agricultural University

The partnership between the two institutions is the brainchild of Chongboi Haokip, a horticultural specialist at Royal Holloway, who previously completed her MSc in international rural development at the RAU.

Chongboi, from the School of Life Sciences and the Environment at Royal Holloway, said: “Our new partnership is very exciting for the university.

“Royal Holloway’s research in biodiversity decline and climate change across biological levels, from genes to landscapes, will work expertly alongside RAU’s extensive agriculture-led studies.

“Both approaches are much needed to create a real impact in the design of sustainable and resilient landscapes and over the years to come, we will connect other disciplinaries, such as humanities, which will be linked to cultural heritage studies at RAU.”

Facilities

RAU’s facilities include Farm491, one of the UK’s leading agri-tech incubators and innovation spaces, as well as experimental farmland, while Royal Holloway provides expertise in molecular analysis at the genetic and biochemical level.

All this will complement RAU’s current analysis of annual harvest, soil biology, and soil health, while offering Royal Holloway an opportunity to apply its work within a real agricultural setting.

Prof. Peter McCaffery, vice-chancellor at the RAU, said: “Food security, soil health, biodiversity loss, and landscape restoration are global challenges, and we are delighted to be collaborating with Royal Holloway, University of London in a new partnership aimed at addressing them.

“Our strengths and expertise are complementary – Royal Holloway in fundamental science and RAU in agricultural applications – and together we will develop sustainable solutions that make a real practical difference on the ground that will also be of mutual benefit to us both.”

Vice-chancellor and principal at Royal Holloway, Prof. Julie Sanders, added: “It is always very exciting to have new partnerships and collaborations with other universities, where we can share our knowledge and facilities to find impactful solutions to global challenges.

“RAU has incredible facilities and expertise that Royal Holloway will be able to benefit from and, with our renowned research in the field of life sciences, a remarkable partnership has been created.”

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Those that pollute the environment will face unlimited penalties under new legislation announced by the government today (Wednesday, July 21).

At present, the Environment Agency and Natural England can give out a maximum variable monetary penalty of £250,000.

This has been increased following response to a government consultation on increasing the cap on variable monetary penalties and broadening their use.

Penalties for polluters

Variable monetary penalties are an alternative to criminal prosecutions which are reserved for the most serious offences; the most serious pollution incidents will continue to be dealt with through the courts.

There are guidelines in place that will ensure the level of penalty imposed by the agencies is proportionate to the degree of environmental harm and culpability.

These include safeguards to ensure the operator’s ability to pay, the size of the operator, and the degree of responsibility and harm, amongst others.

New powers will also enable these higher penalties to be levied as a civil sanction for offences under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, the regime under which the majority of Environment Agency investigations take place.

This will ensure regulators have the right tools to drive compliance across a range of sectors, strengthening enforcement and holding all who hold environmental permits to greater account.

“We regularly prosecute companies and individuals through criminal proceedings, but these new powers will allow us to deliver penalties that are quicker and easier to enforce, even though the most serious cases will continue to go to court,” Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell said.

“That should be an important deterrent – boosting compliance across a range of sectors, driving down pollution and safeguarding the ecology and prosperity of our natural world.”

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said this builds on government action to “stand up for our environment”.

“Polluters must always pay,” she said.

The legislation will be approved by both Houses of Parliament before coming into force.

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Phelim Connolly said that by allowing field hedges to develop and grow, it provides more sources of food for pollinators and farmland birds.

He added that hedges cut annually will not develop a hawthorn blossom, however if people cut one in three years, these hedgerows “will develop more fruit and support more biodiversity”.

To benefit the environment, Connolly recommended that farmers wait until later in the winter to cut hedgerows, giving farmland birds the opportunity to feed off the berries in the winter time.

He said farmers could also choose to cut hedges in rotation, for example cutting one third of the hedges on a farm at any time, meaning that when hedges are cut there is still a food source available for bees and farmland birds.

Hedgerow management by farmers

Connolly said “it is clear to see” the positive impacts good farm management practices can have on the environment.

He paid tribute to Northern Ireland’s farmers who manage thousands of kilometres of hedgerows and said that this year in particular “there has been a spectacular abundance of hawthorn and blackthorn blossoms”.

Under the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), hedgerow management rules detail that:

• Hedge, tree or scrub cutting is not permitted during the nesting season between March 1 and August 31;
• If you own or occupy land next to a public road or footway, you are responsible for maintaining hedges and trees to ensure that they do not obstruct the movement of vehicles and pedestrians or block the view of drivers;
• If management is necessary farmers can still consider allowing single hawthorn trees to establish every 20m within the hedgerow;
• The ‘field’ side of the hedge should not be cut and you should ensure you have clear evidence for the health and safety need for management.

“Now is a good time to take stock of when cutting should take place, which hedges are likely to produce an abundance of fruit, or think about which hedges may be allowed to grow further to provide important sources.

“There is so much within the farmgate already that farmers can do to improve the environment around us,” Connolly said.

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Researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)  found that under laboratory conditions, using an artificial cow’s stomach, emissions could potentially be reduced by in real cows by 30% when this extract is added to their feed.

Commercial trials, involving the SRUC, are now underway.

Daffodil

This work will be completed over a four-year period. If successful, it is envisaged that the daffodil extract should act to reduce methane production levels by 30% under commercial farming conditions.

The farm trials involving the new feed additive will be carried out on a number of commercial cattle farms, located throughout the UK.

Meanwhile, SRUC scientists are also lending their expertise to a major new project, designed to breed sheep with a naturally low carbon footprint.

The English sheep sector has been awarded £2.9 million by the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) to carry out an industry-wide project called: ‘Breed for CH4nge – Breeding Low Methane Sheep’.

This three-year initiative will measure methane emissions from a total of 13,500 sheep in 45 flocks, collect the necessary data and build and develop the tools required to genetically reduce methane emissions and improve the overall efficiency of sheep production systems.

The project will eventually demonstrate the impact of low-carbon sheep on whole-farm carbon footprints and will help English farmers to make a positive contribution to UK agriculture’s journey towards net zero.

The required scientific input, technology and additional genetics expertise will be provided by SRUC and Harper Adams University

SRUC’s Dr. Nicola Lambe said: “This will build on international research on breeding to reduce methane emissions from sheep, to the point of industry implementation in UK flocks.”

The project will initially develop on-farm protocols and use portable accumulation chambers (PAC) to predict methane emissions from grazing sheep alongside measures of health, production and efficiency traits at the individual animal level.

Further measurements, including rumen size and microbiota, will improve understanding of the underlying biology and ensure that reductions in methane emissions positively contribute to sustainable genetic improvement of ewe productivity on UK grass and forage.

This comprehensive set of information will enable understanding of the genetic control of these characteristics and DNA sampling will allow relationships with the underlying genome of the sheep to be investigated.

The end result will be the development of tools to compare the breeding value of sheep in flocks, identifying breeding stock that will contribute to improving farm carbon footprint.

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The maximum amount that people caught fly-tipping could be fined in a fixed-notice penalty has been increased from £400 to £1,000.

On-the-spot fines for those caught littering, doing graffiti and breaching household waste duty of care have also increased, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said.

The new fines will come into force on July 31, and are part of the government’s efforts to crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

“We’re taking action right across government to crack down on anti-social behaviour and ensure waste criminals face justice – but it’s vital that communities have the tools they need to address the problem as well,” Environment Minister Rebecca Pow commented.

“That’s why we are supporting local authorities by increasing the upper limit for on-the-spot fines and ringfencing the proceeds for clean-up and enforcement operations.”

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey added: “Everyone loathes litter louts and people who dump rubbish.

“We are increasing the penalties local councils can apply for this behaviour that spoils our streets and harms nature.”

The revenue from the fines will be invested locally in clean up and enforcement. Local authorities will have the freedom to set the rates that offenders pay within the new limits.

According to Defra, councils dealt with almost 1.1 million incidents of fly-tipping in 2021/2022, and issued 91,000 fines.

The government has also said that it will increase transparency of the data on the use of on-the-spot fines, including publishing league tables on fly-tipping to show which local authorities are tasking a “muscular approach”.

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Brazil has said that deforestation in the Amazon is down by almost 34% in the first half of 2023 when compared to the same period last year.

Government data released yesterday (Thursday, July 6) also shows that there was a 41% drop in deforestation in the Amazon last month on the June 2022 figure.

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva has pledged to end deforestation by 2030.

The left-wing politician who came to power at the start of this year has made the issue a central part of his government’s environmental policy.

Brazil

The data states that 2,649km² of rainforest was lost in the first six months of this year, down from 3,988km² in the same period of 2022 when former President Jair Bolsonaro was in office.

Environment Minister Marina Silva said that the reduction in deforestation in the Amazon has come as a result of control actions and measures, including increased inspections.

The minister noted that there had been a “worrying upward trend” in burning in the rainforest in June but said that work was underway with local governments to reverse this.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) said that the loss of global tropical forest in 2022 totaled 4.1 million hectares.

This is the equivalent to losing 11 football fields of forest per minute. This forest loss produced 2.7Gts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Brazil remains the country with the most tropical forest loss. In 2022 it accounted for 43% of the global total.

Its 1.8 million hectares lost resulted in 1.2Gt of CO2 emissions.

The analysis stated that non fire-related losses in Brazil are most often due to deforestation.

The issue of deforestation has been among the hurdles facing the controversial EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

Earlier this year, the EU sent a letter to the Mercosur countries, including Brazil, seeking more commitments on sustainability and climate change.

However, the Brazilian presiden said that he was concerned by the “additional instrument” which would enhance Brazil’s obligations under the proposed trade deal.

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That is according to the current chief executive of the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) who has highlighted the role played by the ARCZero project.

LMC chief executive, Ian Stevenson, said the evidence from the project is “overwhelming” and is a testimony to farmers who have participated in the ARCZero project over the past two years and underwent their respective journeys towards net-zero.

Stevenson said: “The figures clearly show that it is possible to secure a low carbon future for farming without making wholesale management changes.

“ARCZero has shown conclusively that it is possible to secure lower carbon footprint values per unit of output by committing to improved levels of efficiency across a farm business.

“This initiative has proven to be one of the most significant undertaken within out farming sector for many years.”

Stevenson highlighted that conclusive data has been amassed over the past two years across the seven ARCZero farms.

This includes full carbon assessments across all participating businesses both at the beginning and end of the project.

He added: “We now have real information on the amounts of carbon that are actually stored in our soils, hedgerows, grasslands, woodland and crops.

“More importantly, we also have clear insights regarding the steps that can be taken by farmers to manage carbon more effectively.

“For example, maintaining soils at a pH value of around 6.5 is crucially important in this regard.

“The inclusion of clover in our grass swards is another significant step that can be taken on many farms to improve production efficiency levels.”

The LMC chief executive also pin pointed the more effective use of animal slurries and the potential of multi species swards.

Stevenson added: “The bottom line is that all these mitigations can be implemented in very straightforward ways. The associated investment costs are minimal.

“However, the return generated in terms of improved margins is more than significant.

“ARCZero has shown categorically that the attainment of improved farm-efficiency levels will deliver a lower carbon footprint across all farming businesses.

“All of this adds up to a win:win scenario for farmers.”

ARCZero is a European Innovation Partnership project, comprising a co-operative of seven farms that are located right across Northern Ireland.

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The importance of getting your cattle slurry analysed has been highlighted to farmers as the results can show a large variation in the value of nutrients, according to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE).

Knowing the nutrient value of the slurry can, according to CAFRE, allow farmers to plan the type and the rate of chemical fertiliser to apply which turn can deliver financial and environmental benefits on farm.

According to CAFRE dairying development adviser, Elizabeth Calvin, many factors will influence the variety of nutrients within slurry.

“The variation is due to the type of livestock it comes from, the diet fed to those animals and the way in which it is handled and stored,” she added.

Nutrients in slurry

Calvin said when the largest volume of slurry is available there is “likely to more divergence from quoted nutrient content in slurry”.

She added: “Having got your analysis report, it is important to understand and use it to ensure efficient use of this valuable product.

“Take regard of any soil analysis to target slurry to low K (potassium) and P (phosphorus) fields, consider the crop requirements, weather conditions and method of application, alongside the nutrient content of slurry to determine application rates.”

An organic analysis of cattle slurry will show the dry matter, pH, total nitrogen (N), ammonium N and nitrate N, P, K, Mg, Cu, Zn, S, and Ca, contained in the sample.

Calvin added: “An analysis can be carried out at any time of year, just prior to spreading but is particularly useful in early spring, ahead of the main slurry spreading period for first cuts.

Slurry use

According to CAFRE, a more diluted slurry has a lower N content which must be considered when adjusting application rates.

Diluting the slurry will thereby improve the N uptake as the slurry will enter the soil faster when compared to thick slurry.

Using a more diluted slurry will also reduce grass contamination as it is more easily washed off the grass by rain, ensuring grass is palatable to cattle and sheep when applying slurry between grazing.

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According to the National Waste Crime Survey 2023, 18% of all waste is illegally managed. This figure remains unchanged from the 2021 survey.

This 18%, the Environment Agency said, is approximately 34 million tonnes across England every year – enough to full four million skips.

The survey was commissioned by the head of waste regulation at the Environment Agency and research was carried out by SYSTRA consultants. It ran as an online survey in February of this year.

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) was among the stakeholders consulted during the survey design phase.

Respondents of the survey were seen as being in one of three groups: Waste industry, landowners/farmers and service providers (which includes local authorities and environmental consultants).

Out of these three groups, farmers/landowners submitted the most responses with 459 respondents, followed by the waste industry with 346 and service providers with 84.

This comes as no surprise, considering 86% of these landowner/farmer respondents said they were being affected by small-scale fly tipping.

These farmers named the financial costs of cleaning up as the biggest impact of waste crime on them, however at 88% it was on par with it being a visual blight/eyesore.

To understand the financial impact that waste crime has, respondents were also asked to estimate their total financial costs resulting from waste crime they had experienced during the previous 12 months.

Small-scale fly-tipping mostly cost between £101 and £5,000.

On average, respondents (waste industry and/or landowners/farmers) estimated that 31% of all waste crimes are committed by organised crime groups – and 18% said they were aware of waste crime activities being arranged via Facebook.

Tackling waste crime

The survey respondents felt that the Environment Agency is not effective in its response to waste crime.

However, the survey found that just 25% of waste crime is reported to the agency, and reasons provided for this low rate included negative experiences when having done so in the past.

Less than one in five respondents who had reported waste crime to the Environment Agency were satisfied with the action that followed.

Respondents also felt that severe actions were needed with court-issued penalties, visible activities, disruption tactic and criminal sanctions considered the most effective deterrents against waste crime.

The Environment Agency said that the survey’s findings has shown it needs to update and refine its approach to enforcement continually, and that stopping and shutting down criminals in the waste sector remains a top priority for the agency.

Steve Molyneux, the Environment Agency’s strategic lead on waste regulation, commented:

“Waste criminals put us all at risk every time they break the law. Their toxic crimes cause widespread and significant harm to people, places and the economy.

“The Environment Agency is facing well-resourced, highly organised criminals whose crimes stretch beyond the waste sector to include human trafficking, drugs and money laundering.

“We know crime in the waste sector is rife and this survey provides us with the evidence we need to help us stay one step ahead of the criminal gangs.”

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Alex Parkinson, farm manager for RBOrganic (part of Burgess Farms), one of the largest organic carrot growers in the UK, has been crowned winner of the Organic Research Centre’s (ORC) Young Organic Farmer/ Grower of the Year (YOFY) Award 2022/2023.

He was publicly announced as winner at the National Organic Conference (NOC) this week, however the Norfolk farmer was not present due to work commitments.

Because of this he received his prize of £1,500 and a selection of books on organic and agroecological farming worth over £500 on an earlier date. 

He was however represented at the conference by Andrew Burgess, agricultural director for Burgess Farms, who said:

“Alex arrived with us as a young man without a farming background and settled in very quickly to the farm. He’s a quick learner, hungry for knowledge and a hard worker with a great personality.

“We’ve just watched him grow and develop over his 10 years with us, taking on more and more responsibility and building his knowledge base.

“In organic farming – and horticulture in particular – attention to detail is the difference between making it or not, and he has got that.”

Young Organic Farmer of the Year 

This year’s awards judges said that Parkinson stood out for his “wide vision for organic farming, the way he has learnt on the job, and his influence on larger producers to think organic”.

Donald Peck chair of ORC’s board of trustees, visited Alex with the other judges and said: “What came across was his enthusiasm, technical knowledge – much of it picked up on the job – and willingness to experiment.

“His success should show how feasible and sensible it is for larger producers to think organic.”

Parkinson was one of three finalists for the awards, the others being vegetable producers Adam Payne and Dee Butterley from Pembrokeshire, and dairy farmers Sophie and Tom Gregory from Dorset.

Lucy MacLennan, ORC CEO, said the quality of entrants for this year’s award was extremely high and all finalists shared a passion for organic farming and demonstrated all the skills required to make a success of their business.

“As the need to embrace organic farming methods becomes ever more evident if we are to combat climate change and address biodiversity loss, we are so proud of our finalists for the difference they are making,” she said.

The 2023/24 Young Organic Farmer/Grower of the Year award is anticipated to open for applications in October.

The award aims to highlight the achievements of young organic farmers and growers who are passionate about implementing organic principles.

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The Rt Hon Lord Goldsmith has resigned as minister just days after he was named in the House of Commons report on the partygate scandal.

In his resignation letter today (Friday, June 30) he criticised the government over “abandoning” its animal welfare, climate and nature commitments, singling out Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in particular.

“The problem is not that the government is hostile to the environment, it is that you, our Prime Minister, are simply uninterested. That signal, or lack of it, has trickled down through Whitehall and caused a kind of paralysis,” he said.

He cited in particular the “ditched” Kept Animals Bill and claimed the government has “effectively abandoned” its “pledge to spend £11.6 billion of our aid on climate and environment”.

“Indeed the only reason the government has not had to come clean on the broken promise is because the final year of expenditure falls after the next General Election and will therefore be the problem for the next government,” he said.

“This government’s apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we have faced makes continuing in my current role untenable,” he added.

“With great reluctance I am therefore stepping down as a minister in order to focus my energy where it can be more useful.”

Goldsmith’s resignation comes just two days after he was chastised in a Committee of Privileges report into former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conduct regarding the partygate scandal, referring to the government social gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic, published on Wednesday (June 28).

The House of Commons committee was inquiring into whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had committed contempt of Parliament by intentionally misleading the House of Commons.

It said it was concerned “in particular” at the involvement of government members in attempting to “influence the outcome of the inquiry”.

It said these certain members were aiming to discredit the committee and its findings.

In a list of some of the “most disturbing examples” it listed Goldsmith’s post on Twitter whereby he retweeted a tweet calling the inquiry a witch hunt and kangaroo court, and added: “Exactly this. There was only ever going to be one outcome and the evidence was totally irrelevant to it.”

Goldsmith

Goldsmith will be leaving his position as Minister of State (Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment).

As minister his responsibilities included animal welfare; forestry policy; international environment, climate, biodiversity and conservation; and green financing, among others.

He was also the lead for the Forestry Commission and Lord Minister for environment, including the Environment Bill.

Previously, he was a minister with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Goldsmith said he became involved in politics because of his “love and concern for the natural environment”.

“We depend on nature for everything,” he said in his resignation letter.

“Logically, there is nothing more important.”

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A farm business from Durham and its farm manager have been fined for polluting a tributary of the River Deerness with digestate from spreading.

High Hedley Hope Farm Limited and its 58-year-old farm manager Cyrus Armstrong pleaded guilty to the offences brought by the Environment Agency at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court last week (June 19).

Armstrong was fined £3,500 and the company £15,500, with both ordered to pay £2,655 in court costs each.

Durham farm business spreading digestate

The farm had been using digestate, a by-product of the anaerobic digestion process where bacteria break down organic matter, such as manure, wastewater or food waste, from the anaerobic plant next to it, as fertiliser.

The court heard that in March 2021, a hose was torn off the spreader and an unknown quantity of digestate was spilled into a river tributary, affecting water quality for around 700m.

It caused dark water with an agricultural smell, dead invertebrates and sewage fungus. 

Neither the farm business nor Armstrong reported the spill to the Environment Agency. However, the following week a second pollution into the tributary was reported and attributed to a leaking slurry lagoon, which Armstrong said he was not aware of.

Neil Paisley, agriculture team leader at the Environment Agency in the North East, said this case is a “timely reminder” to follow correct procedures as “land spreading of fertilisers is in full swing”.

“We have permits in place to protect the environment from these activities and will take action against anyone who flouts the law,” he said.

“In this case it has proven costly for the operators.”

Paisley added: “We’re concerned about the lack of awareness amongst some farmers, their advisers and contractors, about the Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil (SSAFO) Regulations, despite the fact that these regulations have been around since 1991.

“They are designed to ensure that slurry and dirty water stores, silage clamps and diesel tanks are built or installed in a way which minimises the risk of their contents escaping into the environment and polluting water or land.

“We encourage farmers to engage with us at the earliest opportunity if they are thinking about constructing a new store.”

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The government has announced more support, including over £7.5 million of new funding, to improve lowland peat soils and reduce carbon emissions.

Environment Minister Trudy Harrison said these new measures “bolster…efforts to protect and improve peat soils – enhancing carbon storage, preserving vital ecosystems, and paving the way for a more sustainable future”.

The new funding will be distributed across two pilots. The Lowland Agricultural Peat Small Infrastructure Pilot (£5.45 million) will support the installation of infrastructure and monitoring technology to enable more control of water levels for the preservation and rewetting of lowland peat.

The Lowland Agricultural Peat Water Discovery Pilot (£2.2 million), to be delivered by the Environment Agency, will allow local and water peatland partnerships to collaborate to develop costed water level management plans for lowland peat areas in England.

The government has also announced that it will take forward action on all 14 recommendations made by Robert Caudwell, independent chair of the Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force, whose report is published today (Thursday, June 19).

These recommendations are:

• New investment in water storage, management and control;
• Public money for wetter modes of farming on peat soils;
• Technical advice on keeping peat soils wetter;
• Creating viable opportunities in private finance;
• Raising the profile of lowland agricultural peat soils;
• Adopting the task force’s roadmap to commercially viable paludiculture (farming on rewetted peat).

The Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force, which ran between 2021 and 2022, was tasked with improving the condition of England’s farmed lowland peat.

Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency welcomed the publication of the Caudwell report.

“Drawing on the report’s recommendations, we recognise that the sustainable management of the water environment through raising the water table within peat soils holds a pivotal role in protecting the carbon it stores,” he said.

“The report findings combined with further research and development provide useful support and incentives to farmers looking to transition to more climate-friendly farming of peat soils.”

Robert Caudwell, chair of the Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force said: “I thank all the members of the Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force for their time and commitment to finding ways of managing lowland agricultural peat that are sustainable and substantially reduce carbon emissions.

“All the evidence demonstrates that reducing carbon emissions from lowland peat is vital as part of the UK government’s plan to tackle climate change.

“The report and the UK government’s response are important first steps in a journey that will require partnership between all stakeholders, and I am confident that the work that is already underway will give farmers opportunities to develop their businesses and contribute to the challenge of net zero.”

The government has also named the 12 projects set to receive support through the £5 million Paludiculture Exploration Fund grant scheme.

These projects aim to help the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to help understand and overcome barriers to developing paludiculture as a commercially viable farming practice on lowland peat soils.

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The analysis showed this is the equivalent to losing 11 football fields of forest per minute. This forest loss produced 2.7Gts of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

This increased loss comes in the first year after heads of 145 countries vowed in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use to halt and reverse forest loss by the end of the decade.

Director of WRI’s Global Forest Watch, Mikaela Weisse told journalists in a briefing:

“Since the turn of the century, we have seen a haemorrhaging of some of the world’s most important forest ecosystems despite years of efforts to turn that trend around.

“We are rapidly losing one of our most effective tools for combating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and supporting the health and livelihoods of millions of people.”

Brazil remains the country with the most tropical forest loss. In 2022 it accounted for 43% of the global total.

Its 1.8 million hectares lost resulted in 1.2Gt of CO2 emissions.

Forest loss in other areas

Forest loss increased in the two countries with the most tropical forest, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The analysis stated that non fire-related losses in Brazil are most often due to deforestation.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, half a million hectares were destroyed in 2022.

The analysis stated that the main drivers for the destruction included: Subsistence agriculture and the small scale production of charcoal made by cutting and burning timber.

Forest loss also rapidly increased in other nations like Ghana and Bolivia. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Malaysia have managed to keep rates near record-low levels.

The analysis stated that forest fires in tropical nations like Bolivia, are usually set for “agricultural purposes”, such as regenerating grasslands for grazing and clearing for cropland, or to claim land.

Other countries rounding out the “top 10” in tropical forest loss worldwide last year include: Peru (3.9 %); Colombia (3.1%); Laos (2.3%); Cameroon (1.9%); Papua New Guinea (1.8%); and Malaysia (1.7%).

The rest of the world combined accounted for just under 15% of forest lost in 2022.

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Yara UK has today (Friday, June 23) announced a long-term collaboration with Simpsons Malt Ltd. and Varda aiming to “dramatically” reduce the carbon footprint of malting barley and distilling wheat production.

The agreement will involve the use of fossil-free green fertilisers and data-based precision farming.

Yara and Varda, an ag-tech company founded by Yara, will work with Simpsons Malt to reduce the environmental impact of leading global beer and whisky brands.

Carbon

One of the largest independent, family-owned malting companies in the world, Simpsons Malt is aiming to achieve carbon neutral malting barley and distilling wheat production by 2030.

The company produces around 300,000t of malt per year at its two malting sites.

The commitment is in response to consumer demand for greater transparency and decarbonisation of farming practices.

Andy Hindhaugh, commercial director of Simpsons Malt Ltd said that the company is “delighted” to be entering into this new collaboration.

“We are committed to minimising the environmental impact not only of our own operations, but throughout our wider supply chain.

“This exciting partnership gives us the opportunity to do exactly that, while also helping our brewing and distilling customers deliver on their own sustainability objectives.”

Yara

Yara estimates that the use of green fertiliser can reduce the carbon footprint of wheat crops by around 20%.

When this is combined with other innovations and best practices, the reductions can become even higher.

“Through our green fertilisers, digital tools, and research led agronomic advice, growers can improve nutrient use efficiency and actively contribute to the reduction of their CO2 footprint,” Jari Pentinmaki, managing director of Yara UK, said.

“We are excited to be collaborating with Simpsons Malt and Varda, as we all look towards a nature positive food future.”

The ag-tech start-up, Varda, will help growers with the use of its geospatial technology that enables the integration of field level data.

This includes the company Global Field ID system which assigns a unique identification number to each field or plot, reduces data fragmentation and supports data sharing.

“Agriculture is uniquely positioned to positively contribute to the climate crisis by reducing its carbon footprint and improving its productivity.

“We are proud to play our part in helping pioneering organisations such as Simpsons Malt in establishing a more transparent and collaborative food supply chain by organising and combining fragmented field data,’’ Davide Ceper, chief executive of Varda, added.

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According to the Northern Ireland Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2021 report, agriculture was responsible for 27.6% of emissions in 2021.

Just after agriculture was the transport sector, which contributed 16.7% to overall emissions, whilst the business, energy supply and residential sectors contributed 14.0%, 13.7% and 12.4% respectively.   

The report highlighted that between 2020 and 2021, all sectors, with the exception of waste management and public, showed an increase in emissions.

The largest increases in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent was in the transport sector with 0.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e)

Between 2020 -2021, the agriculture sector saw the second-largest increases of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent with 0.3 MtCO2e with the energy supply following with 0.2 MtCO2e sectors.

According to the latest research, in 2021, Northern Ireland contributed 5.3% of all UK GHG emissions, which stood at 426.5 MtCO2e. It said that in the UK there has been a 47.7% reduction in emissions between 1990 and 2021.

The report revealed that during the same period, the reduction in emissions in Northern Ireland was 23.2%, compared to 50.2% in England, 49.3% in Scotland and 35.0% in Wales.

GHG emissions in NI

The report produced by Ricardo Energy and Environment on behalf of DAERA is said to be a “a statistical bulletin on greenhouse gas emissions for Northern Ireland, during the period 1990-2021”.

Its purpose is to “outline” key Northern Ireland figures from the Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

According to the report, in 2021 Northern Ireland’s net GHG emissions were estimated to be 22.5 million tonnes of MtCO2e.

It states that the net figure is a result of an estimated “23.7 MtCO2e total emissions, offset by 1.2 MtCO2e of emissions removed through sequestration”.

The latest figures suggests that the net figure of 22.5 MtCO2e, in 2021, represents an increase of 5.0% compared with 2020. The longer-term trend showed a decrease of 23.2% compared with emissions in 1990.

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Livestock will mimic “wild ancestors” to benefit the wildlife on the Purbeck Heath’s National Nature Reserve, according to the National Trust.

The National Trust launched the 3,400ha of priority habitat on the Purbeck Heaths in Dorset three years ago.

Working with reserve partners, the National Trust plans to create a 1,370ha open ‘savannah’ for free-ranging, grazing animals as it would have been “thousands of years ago”.

Livestock, such as cattle, pigs and ponies will graze like “extinct species” to help wildlife such as sand lizard, southern damselfly and heath tiger beetle to thrive in heathland landscape.

Livestock on Purbeck Heaths

According to the National Trust, the Purbeck Heaths super reserve is a “rich mosaic of lowland wet and dry heath, valley mires, acid grassland and woodland, along with coastal sand dunes, lakes and saltmarsh”.  

It says that it is one of the most “biodiverse places” in the UK and is home to thousands of species of wildlife, “including all six native reptiles”.

David Brown, National Trust lead ecologist for Purbeck said: “Over large swathes of open grassland and heath, these domestic grazers are now mimicking their wild ancestors, who would have shaped habitats in the past.

“We can’t bring back aurochs, the native ancestors of our domestic cattle, but we can use our 200 Red Devon cattle to graze and behave in equivalent ways.  

“Similarly, Exmoor ponies mimic the actions of now-extinct tarpan horses, and the quirky, curly coated Mangalitsa pigs are rooting around like wild boars.

“We’re also discovering that by letting them get on with their own thing as much as possible, our grazing animals explore new habitats and discover different types of vegetation to eat – all of which help create a more dynamic and complex ecosystem.”

The National Trust says that “by giving cattle, ponies and pigs this huge landscape to wander around, they are helping rare and threatened species such as Purbeck mason wasps, and heath bee-flies disperse and build stronger populations”.

Tom Munro, Dorset’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty manager said: “As well as making the landscape richer for nature, some of these grazing animals will provide good quality food and support the local economy through ecotourism, such as camping and safaris.

“The Purbeck Heaths partners have also brought together local businesses, community groups, parish councils and schools to create a sustainable tourism plan to manage the impact of visitors on nature and also increase the value of the landscape to local people and the economy.”

National Nature Reserve

Seven landowners joined forces to create the largest lowland heath National Nature Reserve: The National Trust; Natural England; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; Forestry England; Rempstone Estate; Dorset Wildilfe Trust; and Amphibian & Reptile Conservation.

The Dorset based nature reserve is said to have 11 types of priority habitat to “enable wildlife to move more easily across the landscape”.

The National Nature Reserve (NNR) combines three existing NNRs at Stoborough Heath, Hartland Moor, and Studland and Godlingston Heath.

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