Farmers must have a say in the rollout of new energy infrastructure, NFU says
11th August 2023
The NFU is calling for farmers to be considered in government plans to roll out new energy infrastructure and given the chance to have their say due to the impact this will have on rural businesses and food production.
Plans to revamp national energy infrastructure are currently being considered by government as part of proposals to connect electricity produced offshore from wind projects and solar farms. This would entail either upgrading existing infrastructure or building a new national transmission network.
If given the go-ahead, the plans could result in miles of pylons and overhead cables being installed across thousands of acres of land, causing major disruptions to farmers with a knock-on effect on food production.
NFU vice president David Exwood reminded the government of the important role British farm businesses play in generating renewable electricity and the long-lasting impact national infrastructure projects can have on day-to-day farming operations.
“The NFU believes government should have a properly coordinated offshore network; this is where the energy is created, and only when needed would the electric come on to land with overhead lines or underground cables.
“This would minimise any damage to the countryside and be less impactful on our ability to produce food,” he said.
In the even that infrastructure must be delivered quickly onshore, Mr Exwood called for affected farmers to be properly consulted regarding the location for pylons and overhead cables, which can be very dangerous for those operating farm machinery below.
“Importantly, we also need to know whether farmers will be fairly compensated and, as the recent Winser Report suggests, receive lump sum payments like individual households for hosting new infrastructure on their land,” he added.
