Technology in farming – the sustainable revolution?

Sustainability has been high on the farming agenda for several years now. This has been not only accelerated by the withdrawal of the pre-Brexit subsidy scheme and its replacement with Environmental Land Management schemes, but also driven by the need to increase profitability through lowering overheads and input costs in exceptionally challenging market conditions.

Indeed, the entry-level Environmental Land Management scheme now available to landowners is the “Sustainable Farming Incentive” - with payments being made for over 100 different actions designed to farm in a way that combats climate change, restores nature and increases biodiversity.

Agri-tech is big business, which is no surprise – farmers have always been adapters and innovators. Visiting one of the specialist agricultural shows will give you just a flavour, from driverless robots cultivating to drones analysing yields from above, as well as plenty of traditional equipment now reimagined to reduce fossil fuel consumption, pesticide use and carbon disturbance.

JCB are even developing a hydrogen tractor. Agronomists and farm managers are increasingly embracing software and AI to monitor productivity and animal heath, as well as to measure and predict their carbon footprint. In an ideal world, this technology will not only help solve operational problems faced by farmers, but also underpin a sustainable future for the industry.

We do not yet know if the new government intends to relaunch the previous ‘Farming Equipment and Technology Fund’ and ‘Farming Transformation Fund’, which were popular grants to help fund investment in farm innovation, including the use of renewable energy on farms.

However, given the much-publicised intentions for the UK to become a world-leader in clean energy, there likely will be more help on hand to cut fossil fuel use in agriculture.

Income from nature

Beyond funding, the government has launched a consultation to study and consider land use in the UK, which will no doubt heighten the tension between balancing food security and promoting sustainability in nature.

Perhaps the true revolution is the one asks us to transform the way we look at land itself. Today, landowners can generate an income from the very essence of the countryside – the land’s natural capital, rather than from growing food upon it.

For example, last year saw a new mandatory requirement for Biodiversity Net Gain within the planning system; requiring new developments to demonstrate a net gain of at least 10 per cent in the proposed site’s biodiversity.

Outside of this statutory regime, there are also private markets emerging for carbon sequestration and potential money to be made by using natural landscapes to offset carbon emitted by other industries.

Renewable energy schemes and water quality

Natural landscapes also provide an opportunity for diversification through renewable energy schemes, such as windfarms and solar parks. Although large Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects will mean more land being taken out of production, the chance to participate could also be a life-line for landowners looking for alternative ways to secure income streams.

In this changing landscape, a surge in interest from developers is difficult to overlook. That said, it is important to undertake research and consider tax and practical implications before committing.

There is also increased sensitivity about preserving and improving water quality for the benefit of both people and nature. Nandos is the latest household name to be challenged on river pollution allegedly caused by their meat producers, and farmers must carefully consider potential contamination from other aspects of the industry – from run-off of fertiliser and sprays, to slurry and dairy waste.

Beyond farming, utility providers are equally under pressure to explain large scale sewage discharges into watercourses.

In Cambridgeshire, landowners face further upheaval due to infrastructure upgrades to store and transport water to reach a growing population; with new pipelines being laid and a proposed new reservoir in the fens.

Whilst no one can predict what the Government will do next, the focus will likely continue to be on increasing the biodiversity of the landscape and balancing nature with the needs for more development, housing and food production.

From our perspective, there is no escaping the role nature is going to play in farming and land management this year and beyond. The creation of habitat banks, multi-landowner collaboration on landscape recovery schemes, as well as solar and renewable energy schemes will all play their part.

I have no doubt the farming industry will continue to adapt and rise to the latest challenges it faces, including embracing the latest technology available as we move forward into a new phase of sustainability.

• For more information, please contact Emily Pumfrey, Partner, Agriculture and Estates team, on 01223 447 428 or 07570 683 583.