Committee on Climate Change

The current approach to unlocking emissions reduction in agriculture is based around voluntary action by the industry in partnership with the Government.

A Greenhouse gas (GHG) Industry Action Plan, developed by the Climate Change Task Force (a joint collaboration between agriculture industry groups) has identified measures to deliver emissions reduction from farming, and proposed an approach to delivery based on provision of information, advice and voluntary action.

The Government has indicated that the industry-led approach will be supported by other policies, such as the EU Nitrates Directive and the UK Nitrate Action Programme or reform to the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which could generate greenhouse gas emission benefits.

The Government will also need to consider whether further policy strengthening is needed, particularly to encourage uptake of more expensive farming mitigation measures. It has committed to undertake a review in 2012 of progress made under the industry-led approach, which should consider the full range of options for Government intervention to supplement industry action. This should include action at EU level since changes to the CAP provide a potential way to minimise any competitiveness impacts on UK agriculture.

Policies to encourage changed diets in the longer term could include raising awareness amongst consumers as to the carbon content of food products, retail and supply chain leadership to promote lower carbon food products, and introducing a carbon tax on food.

Any UK charges, levies or taxes would have to address concerns about competitiveness impacts (e.g. through taxing at point of sale rather than upstream).

As for on-farm measures, the Committee recommends that the full range of policy options for encouraging diet change are considered by the Government in order to deliver emissions reductions on a pathway to the 2050 target.