Farmers hit back at Seventh Carbon Budget’s call to cut livestock numbers 

Farmers have strongly criticised the Climate Change Committee’s Seventh Carbon Budget, which calls for cattle and sheep numbers to be curbed by 27%. 

It also recommends a 25% reduction in average meat consumption. 

George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, commented:

“We all recognise the climate emergency and the need to do all we can to address it. 

“However, by perpetuating anti-livestock rhetoric within its own echo chamber, the CCC has fallen into an ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ policy for which they will get plaudits, but without justification. 

“We need to step back and see clearly the carbon services provided every day of the week by hard-working dairy and livestock farmers throughout the United Kingdom.”

He went on to say that it’s “alarming” and “simply bonkers” how often meat, dairy and aviation are grouped together in the same sentence throughout the report.

Carbon Budget

The report provides advice to the government for 2038-2042. Overall, it recommends limiting the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to 535 MtCO₂e.

Parliament must agree each carbon budget produced by the CCC for it to be set into law.

Key recommendations in the report include reducing emissions for agriculture and land use by 7% by 2040. 

As part of this, it calls for farmers to be supported to reduce livestock numbers.

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Custodians of the land

Official figures show that 12% of UK carbon emissions come from agriculture. However, considering that the sector utilises 70% of the country’s land area, this means the other 30% of land is generating 88% of emissions, explained George Dunn.

“Looking specifically at meat and dairy production which is predominantly located in the west of the country, and overlaying that with maps showing the concentration of soil carbon shows a strong correlation,” he continued. 

“Livestock farmers are merely recycling carbon sequestrated from the atmosphere in the grass that they grow, together with the hedgerows and trees existing on their holdings. 

“However, they are also the custodians of a massive carbon bank in their soils that have locked up carbon for the benefit of the nation and the world. 

“Surely, they deserve much more credit and support for that?”

Alongside the budget, the CCC also issued the report from its Agriculture Advisory Group, which takes a more pragmatic approach. But this appears to have been largely ignored by the CCC in reaching its conclusions, the TFA said.

Mr Dunn said the difference in the approaches of the two reports is “quite striking”.

He emphasised that the TFA is not saying that farming practices do not need to change. “However, we do not need to lurch towards the corner solutions proposed by the CCC. 

“There is much within the report of the Agricultural Advisory Group, including its call for a more holistic approach, which should be given more focused attention.”

New opportunities

However, the Nature Friendly Farming Network’s CEO Martin Lines said: “It is understandable that some farmers may find these recommendations daunting, but they also present new opportunities.”

He added: “Climate change is already having a huge impact on farms, and the question is whether we adapt and take advantage of new opportunities or face greater risks down the line. 

“Farmers are at the forefront of climate solutions. The most effective way to safeguard the future of farming is to embrace multi-functional landscapes that produce food, prevent flooding, mitigate against extreme weather and restore nature and biodiversity.”

However, NFFN challenged the CCC’s suggestion that farmland should be taken out of agricultural use entirely for tree planting schemes, as well-managed woodlands can successfully integrate livestock and tree cover.

It also called for greater emphasis on the role of nature-friendly farming in restoring soil health and its contribution to carbon sequestration and emissions reductions. Plus, closer collaboration between the CCC and Defra on the Land Use Framework.

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