A recent report by the Scottish parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee states that the agricultural sector is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases but has one of the lowest climate change targets.
MSP Graeme Dey commented: “Our committee feels that it is crucial for all of Scotland’s sectors to play their part in reducing emissions, specifically agriculture which is one of the biggest contributors in terms of creating harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”
However, the agricultural sector throughout the UK has been making big strides in an effort to reduce emissions. The UK’s anaerobic digestion sector has seen huge growth and development in recent years. Anaerobic digestion (AD) improves sustainability in farming and it is estimated that AD has also already reduced UK greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 1% annually.
The total number of AD plants in live operation has increased by 27% in the last year with more than 540 AD plants in operation in the UK today. These plants allow the UK to recycle more food waste, create more sustainable farming practices and low-carbon baseload electricity and provide more green gas to the UK’s grid.
In November 2016, 22 farmers from across the UK presented ‘Delivering Britain’s Clean Energy from the Land’ document at the UN’s Climate Change conference. The report, released on Farmers Day, celebrated the work of farmers from across the 4 UK farming unions in tackling climate change by installing renewable energy systems on their farm and producing low carbon energy.
FGS Agri is actively involved in the growth of anaerobic digestion and environmentally friendly farming practices. Contact us to find out more about how we can help your farm reduce carbon emissions, save money and become more efficient and profitable. Call us on 01233 820055 or email webenquiries@fgsagri.co.uk
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