Farmers have their work cut out to achieve emission goal

THE timescale for reducing greenhouse gas emissions will prove a real challenge for Scottish farmers, an expert has claimed.

David Gorman, the head of environment and strategy with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), delivered the warning at a conference in Edinburgh. But he said he was sure the agricultural industry would rise to the challenge.

While the Scottish Government has signed up for an overall reduction of 42 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, agriculture has its own target of 21 per cent in the same timeframe.

Gorman said farmers had to be more aware of the issues, so that they could alter farming practices to help them hit the targets.

But he also said they deserved a clear, consistent message from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Agricultural College and other bodies as to how they would reduce emissions on a practical "down on the farm" basis.

Dominic Moran, from the Scottish Agricultural College, said that when measures were being put in place, they should adhere to three main criteria.

"They should be effective, they should help promote efficiency and they should be fair or provide equity," he said.

He believed there were already large areas of work where the effectiveness of husbandry measures could provide change without affecting production.

On the question of efficiency, he believed there were many "win-win" situations in farming that would produce less greenhouse gas, cut costs and even improve margins.

Moran said some sectors and types of farming would face greater pressure than others to meet targets.

He said it was also possible that Britain could start to export part of the emissions problem by getting other countries, not signed up to climate change targets, to produce food which involved high-emission techniques

Earlier, rural affairs and environment secretary Richard Lochhead had announced Scottish Government funding of a 400,000 computer program package to provide field level information on fertiliser applications, as well as an overall nutrient management plan.

Lochhead said the program called Planet (Planning Land Application of Nutrients for Efficiency and the Environment) would help to improve the environment and farm businesses.

"Pollution and climate change are renewed pressures on our soils and could, if not properly managed, significantly reduce our ability to grow crops and ensure long-term food security," he said.

Jonnie Hall, head of rural policy for NFU Scotland, added: "Producers have an increasing need to be as efficient as possible in terms of fertiliser management.

"Fertiliser management addresses wider environmental responsibilities farmers face, such as minimising adverse impacts on the water environment and making a contribution towards tackling climate change."