UFU Welcomes Fall in GHG Emissions in Agriculture

NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - The Ulster Farmers’ Union has welcomed the latest statistics from the European Environment Agency which show that Greenhouse Gas Emissions from agriculture are continuing to fall. According to Europe’s Environment Agency, agriculture emissions have fallen by over 20 per cent since 1990.
calendar icon 2 June 2009
clock icon 3 minute read

UFU President Graham Furey, who recently gave evidence to the Northern Ireland Assembly Environment Committee’s Climate Change Inquiry, said the latest confirmation that emissions from farming were falling, was a positive development.

Mr Furey said, "The latest emissions figures for agriculture are very encouraging. This sends out a good message to policy makers in Government and in the EU Commission that the firmly established trend in agriculture is for lower emissions each year. It is also a clear message to retailers, who are trying to establish their green credentials, for example through the carbon labelling of food, that modern agriculture is able to meet the twin challenge of producing food for a growing population, while also reducing the environmental impact of food production."

Mr Furey added that practical issues such as farmers investing in slurry storage leading to the reduced usage of fertiliser, and new slurry spreading techniques, are helping agriculture to lower its emissions at a time when emissions from many other sources, such as transport, are continuing to grow.

"Going forward we need more research in Northern Ireland to establish an accurate baseline before any decisions are taken on specific Greenhouse Gas emission targets for agriculture. But it is encouraging at this stage to see farming emissions continue to fall steadily. In 2006 agriculture emissions accounted for only 7 per cent of UK Greenhouse Gas emissions," Mr Furey concluded.

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