05 November 2020
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Can UK growers help achieve net zero?
THE South of England Agricultural Society’s annual Farming Conference, which is going digital this year, is less than a week away, offering UK growers the chance to get involved in a national UK debate which is being chaired by BBC presenter Charlotte Smith.
The conference will consider whether UK agriculture can really achieve net zero.
“In January 2019, the NFU boldly stated their ambition to achieve net zero for agriculture by 2040 – 10 years earlier than the Government’s own target,” said Duncan Rawson, a Nuffield Scholar sponsored by the Society and organiser of the Farming Conference. “Few would dispute the impact that greenhouse gas emissions are having on global climate change. But for agriculture this is a complex picture as the industry is a significant source of emissions, while equally has the ability to offer impactful solutions to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
“There is no doubt that the industry can do a great deal to reduce emissions and to capture gasses from the atmosphere, but for a sector so reliant on chemicals – from fertilisers, to pesticides, and diesel, we will be discussing just how radical we will have to be to deliver net zero by 2040.”
Guest speakers include: NFU President Minette Batters; Managing Director of Kingsclere Estates, Tim May; Farmer and Nuffield scholar Doug Wanstall; Head of Sustainability at Map of Ag, Hugh Martineau.
All speakers will deliver a short presentation setting out their thoughts, then viewers can pose questions through an interactive message panel.
The Farming Conference is held by the South of England Agricultural Society as part of its charitable remit to fund and support agricultural education and countryside learning. The Farming Conference is FREE to attend and will run online from 7pm to 9pm. To register, and for more details, visit our events page here.
Photo: Chairperson Charlotte Smith with guest speakers Minette Batters, Tim May, Doug Wanstall and Hugh Martineau.