Environment charities have called on the Scottish government to urgently change track following a warning from climate advisors that Scotland does not have a clear pathway to reduce emissions from farming.
Today’s [Wednesday] progress report by the Climate Change Committee shows that the independent advisors do not have confidence that any of the government’s policies for reducing farming emissions from 2031 onwards are credible.
Instead the climate watchdog says that there are ‘significant risks’ in the government’s approach and ‘insufficient plans’ to meet the targets to reduce emissions from agriculture. Over the two carbon budget periods from 2031-35 and 2036-40, the Climate Change Committee does not categorise any of the plans to reduce agricultural emissions as credible.
The significant intervention from the Climate Change Committee follows the decision in December by representatives of leading environmental organisations to walk away from the government’s farming policy process, citing its failure to help farmers and crofters tackle climate change and nature loss.
Deborah Long, Chief Executive of Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of more than 50 environment organisations, said today:
“Agriculture is a major driver of climate change and helping farmers and crofters to reduce their emissions is essential if Scotland is to hit our climate targets.
“Farmers and crofters are at the frontline of climate impacts, and the extreme weather of recent weeks is just the latest example of how a changing climate is making food production harder and more unpredictable.
“This significant intervention by the government’s own independent advisors adds to the chorus of voices urging a change in approach. Environmental groups have been clear that the government is failing to set out realistic plans for Scottish farming to get on the right track.
“Right now, just 5% of public funding for agriculture is spent directly on supporting nature and climate friendly farming. That’s not going to get us where we need to be to meet our climate targets. We need a funding system that enables farmers and crofters to make the shift to sustainable farming in the knowledge that the Scottish government has their backs.”