Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. June 2025 issue
      2. May 2025 issue
      3. April 2025 issue
      4. March 2025 issue
      5. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      6. February 2025 issue
      7. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      8. January 2025 issue
      9. December 2024 issue
      10. November 2024 issue
      11. October 2024 issue
      12. September 2024 issue
      13. August 2024 Issue
      14. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      15. July 2024 Issue
      16. Cereals Supplement
      17. June 2024 Issue
      18. May 2024 Issue
      19. April 2024 Issue
      20. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      21. March 2024 Issue
      22. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      23. February 2024 Issue
      24. January 2024 Issue
      25. December 2023
      26. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      27. November 2023
      28. October 2023
      Featured

      June 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltJune 2, 2025
      Recent

      June 2025 issue available now

      June 2, 2025

      May 2025 issue available now

      May 1, 2025

      April 2025 issue available now

      April 1, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Markets & Policy

    RASE’s 2022 Farm of the Future report

    Meghan TaylorBy Meghan TaylorApril 5, 20225 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Smart,Farm,,agriculture,Concept,,Farmer,Use,Data,Augmented,Mixed,Virtual

    The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) has now released its 2022 report, Farm of the Future: Journey to Net Zero, as well as its series of technical, individual reports that offer personalised guidance for the decarbonisation of individual UK agricultural sectors. 

    The most recent report builds upon the policy-based Farm of the Future: Journey to Net Zero report, published in October 2021 as a pre-cursor to the COP26 Climate Change Conference. The 2022 report states that the ‘primary function of farmers is to produce food’. As such, and with farmers managing a large proportion of the UK’s landmass, they have a ‘vital role to play in the implementation of the country’s low carbon transition plans’.

    However, both the Farm of the Future and the technical sector reports insist that government must offer sufficient support to farmers during agriculture’s low carbon transition. ‘If farmers are expected to invest in the transition, they need reassurance that the benefits will justify their costs.’  

    Governmental support

    The reports concur that the successful decarbonisation of agriculture requires the united efforts of all government departments; albeit, alongside the synergistic endeavours of farmers, processors, and retailers.

    Philip Gready, chairman of RASE, said: “Investment will be required from the government and the private sector,” ensuring that farmers (both new and well established within the industry) have the appropriate access to research and advisory services. This ministerial support will encourage farmers to adopt low carbon practises, while maintaining the commerciality of their businesses.

    Furthermore, as innovative approaches and technology solutions become more available to farmers in their bid for net zero, ‘demonstration is key.’ ‘The existing network of farm demonstration sites should be extended to encourage the uptake of nature-friendly sustainable farming practises, emerging technologies and rural renewable energy opportunities.’

    To encourage the extension of such sites, the government must sufficiently support the new Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs); to encourage more farms to become ELMs case studies and show emissions reduction leadership.

    Standardised measurement systems

    As farming practises evolve, to incorporate net zero target aims, carbon capturing and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission measurement systems must also develop: in a manner which ensures they will be standardised, transparent, and provide a clear benchmark for all, across every sector/industry and worldwide.

    A universal and transparent measuring system will allow clarity surrounding GHG emission comparisons and quantifications. This would increase farmer’s confidences in the decarbonisation systems, while providing ‘sound economic valuation of natural capital.’

    Farm vehicles and future fuels

    The ‘farm vehicles and future fuels’ report criticised the policy failure that excluded agriculture from the replacement pathway for red diesel, calling it ‘a major oversight’ that ‘should be given greater priority by government.’ With that, it stated that agriculture must consider a replacement primary fuel for farm vehicles. Substitutes could include electricity or liquid or gas biofuels, such as on-farm biomethane generation/supply and potentially hydrogen.

    Gas, with its higher energy density, ‘offers greater potential than electricity for heavy vehicles and machinery,’ however, the report also underlined agriculture’s need to look beyond increasing farm vehicle size to instead use smaller, more compact, controlled traffic farming systems, to prevent soil compaction.

    UK cereal production

    To decarbonise the UK cereal sector, the report noted that existing arable technology and knowledge will be key. With increased public and private funding, innovations could be better demonstrated and thus more widely adopted. The better integration of farm data platform technology will ease the collection of performance metrics, for more meaningful decision making that will enable farmers to maintain both commercial viability and reduce GHG emissions.

    Horticulture production

    According to RASE, horticulture’s decarbonisation relies on the integration of pressure from consumers, in the way of diet changes and reduced plastic uses, regulators, retailers, and investors, into the sector’s commercial systems.

    ‘Glasshouse heating, transport and refrigeration is the most GHG emissive elements of the horticultural supply chain,’ therefore, any waste product adds significantly to emission values. To lessen both emissions and waste, ‘increasing local production of higher value produce has to be a priority with the transition to a more plant-based diet.’ Higher value produce would include, and ‘should be focused on’, horticultural crops and products that deliver the most environmental gain.

    The report also indicated a need for smaller farms and horticultural businesses to have access to an industry body that would fund research into best practises and innovative solutions, for the sector’s decarbonisation and viability.

    UK intensive meat production

    For UK meat production, improving KPI’s and livestock health ‘will mitigate GHG emissions.’ This, along with the development of a clear strategy, which must be shared with policy makers, the media and consumers, will address the rhetoric around agriculture’s high GHG emissions and ‘improve consumer confidence in the industry.

    UK dairy production

    Like the meat sector, improving livestock health, via better husbandry practises and technologies, will help the dairy sector deliver a better balance between economic viability, environmental responsibility and social acceptability.

    The report sets out that, to meet decarbonisation targets, farmers, milk producers and processors must work closely together, to develop strategies that address the wider environmental impacts of the complex supply chain. Such strategies would include ‘increasing research into curbing bovine emissions,’ for example, ‘improved handling and storage of manures, including covered stores, low emission spreading equipment and on-site anaerobic digestion.’

    The report concluded that ‘change in dairy farming practices and management will be driven by farmers who show a desire to harness novel technologies and innovation, such as methane reducing feed additives, targeted application of slurries and decarbonisation of fossil fuel derived fertilisers.’

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleCaptain regains position with top enviro-credentials
    Next Article Polysulphate can boost marketable yield in potatoes
    Meghan Taylor

    Journalist. Graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English and Art History. When not working I can be found riding my horses on the Ashdown Forest, reading, shopping, or cooking!

    Read Similar Stories

    NFU calls for transparency as Defra denies freedom of information requests

    May 21, 2025

    Kuhn highlights machines available for grant funding

    May 12, 2025

    Red Tractor opens consultation for tiered pig standards

    April 30, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Industry responds to government spending review

    June 11, 2025

    Cefetra Group acquired by First Dutch

    June 11, 2025

    Cheffins to auction historic machinery collection

    June 11, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.