Study: Practical and financial barriers hampering beef farmers' pursuit of net zero

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A number of practical and financial barriers associated with reducing carbon footprints and capturing more carbon are standing in the way of beef farmers making the transition to net zero, a new report has warned.

The report from the Ruby Country Net Zero Beef Farming Forum is the result of work involving leading beef farmers, experts from agricultural research institute Rothamsted Research, and the University of Exeter.

According to the report, those involved in the beef sector in Devon's 'Ruby Country' are taking steps to promote biodiversity and soil health, but their efforts are being hampered by a lack of clarity about future incentives, such as which net zero and sustainable farming approaches will be provided with government subsidies and to what extent.

Other barriers highlighted by the study included concerns over taking land out of food production, and how funding would be secured for infrastructure improvements such as manure storage systems, as well as the machinery and smaller or specialist equipment that is needed to farm in ways which minimise carbon footprints.

Recommendations from the Ruby Country Net Zero Beef Farming Forum have been shared with the The Devon Climate Emergency Response Group (DCERG) and will form part of the evidence for the new Devon Carbon Plan, which aims to set out how the county can achieve net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.

Members of the Ruby Country Net Zero Beef Farming Forum said they met six times over spring 2021 to discuss their future options for reducing emissions and identify the support they would need in order to aid their transition to net zero.

Amongst the actions which received strong support from the Forum was the use of traditional beef breeds such as the Ruby Red Devon Cattle, as well as the protection and enhancement of the Culm grasslands, which members of the Forum described as a "key priority habitat" within the Ruby Country that are rich in both carbon and biodiversity but have seen their area reduced as a result of agricultural intensification.

Whilst Forum members supported the enhancement of the on-farm natural environment it was highlighted that the labour-intensive nature of some of the practices that promote biodiversity and net zero goals - such as hedge laying, woodland management, and mob grazing practices - present finanical challenges that would require support and investment to overcome.

The report also called for "less bureaucratic processes" for farmers looking to access financial support when undertaking new and existing agricultural practices which are environmentally beneficial. And they argued payment schemes should be better structured to provide support for smaller and tenanted farms and recognise regional differences.

In addition, the farmers also told researchers they wanted local planning systems which encourage the development of appropriate infrastructure to support net zero goals, county-wide leadership, and a strategic, joined-up approach to environmental efforts.

Dr Alice Moseley, University of Exeter, who was one of the lead researchers on the project, said that farmers had been making an effort to adopt more sustainable practices, however many would struggle to make progress towards net zero emissions without further support and guidance.

"Farmers in our forum were already undertaking actions in support of sustainable farming, whether that's through organic approaches, using grass-fed cattle with low inputs as part of an integrated farming system, hedge planting or using grass leys in ways that encourage biodiversity," she said. "However, they told us a one-size fits all approach to net zero wouldn't work and they need further support to help with this."

Moseley added that while beef farmers supported a focus on environmental issues within agriculture and land use, they also wanted to see further recognition from policy makers that farmers need to make a living.

She argued that the financial returns for beef farmers adopting more sustainable practices such as agroforestry are "very long-term", noting that farmers do not have the spare cash to invest in new tools or infrastructures necessary to achieve net zero goals.

"The financial picture in farming currently also makes it much harder for farms to take risks doing things in new ways," she warned.   "Public policy therefore needs to provide the right incentives and levers to enable change to happen within the critical timeframe that is needed to achieve net zero goals".

Ruby Country farmer and mixed catering butcher, Andy Gray, said that farmers needed a policy "immediately" that would allow farmers to benefit from changing their practices to develop societal good, and claimed that the industry had been repeatedly "let down" by slow policy development and delivery.

"There are many barriers slowing farmers steps to net zero, some policy, some societal, some practical," he said. "Enthusiasm to change is not a barrier, farmers have an appetite to change. A major consideration is the availability of knowledge. We have lots of science we should be following, there is no central point to access this.  We need quick ways to deliver the available science to the farmer, the science needs to be more accessible."

Co-author of the report Melanie Wright from Rothamsted Research said that farmers wanted recognition and reward for the work they were already doing to promote biodiversity and sustainable farming.

"There is also a need for locally tailored support from processors, retailers and government to support farmers to make transitions to net zero farming," she added. "This help should support different routes to market including for smaller and tenanted farms that are a vital part of Devon's heritage."

The report follows the launch of a new call for evidence from the government on how innovative feedstocks and supplements could be used to curb methane emissions from ruminant livestock. It also comes as the government continues to push forward with reforms to farming subsidies that would see farmers rewarded based on their ability to deliver environmental and social benefits, such as enhanced carbon stocks and biodiversity, rather than how much land they own.

The reforms have proven controversial in some quarters with some farmers warning they could result ina reduction in subsidies and green groups arguing the changes should be more ambitious and provide more incentives for farmers to reduce their environmental impacts.

Meanwhile, the government has also continued to come under fire from green groups for its refusal to encourage the public to adopt more climate-friendly diets that are less reliant on red meat.