Ahead of COP29 in Azerbaijan next week, the NFU is calling on the UK Government to make the case for farming.
With world leaders gathering on November 19th, the Azeri presidency has warned more ambitious climate plans and the unlocking of finance will be needed to get the world back on track to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
The NFU has represented British farmers and the wider Farmers’ Constituency at the COP since 2015 and this ‘Finance COP’ must lead to investment in agriculture to meet the climate challenges ahead.
The NFU suggests farming should be the heart of practical, progressive policies that will encourage investment to support the country’s net zero transition. This includes policies such as supporting GHG (greenhouse gas) auditing on farms, incentivising productivity improvements, and investing in water management systems.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “British farmers and growers can and want to be part of the solution. But we need the right government policies in place to give farm businesses confidence to invest for the long-term. We can produce more sustainable, affordable homegrown food while creating more jobs and delivering for nature, energy security and climate-friendly farming.”
The Farmers’ Constituency continues to focus its efforts on the political process of negotiations. It has published a high-level position paper which calls for:
- Greater effort to unlock new and innovative sources of finance and investment, to enable all farmers to make the most of opportunities and face the challenges ahead.
- The agriculture negotiations to address practical farm issues.
- Farmers at all levels to be involved in the development and implementation of the next round of climate plans.
- Greater transparency and accounting of agriculture’s GHG emissions and mitigation solutions.
