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The UK Agriculture Industry's Climate Change Task Force report Part of the Solution' will have its international launch this Monday March 3 at the European Parliament.

NFU chief renewable energy and climate change adviser Dr Jonathan Scurlock will set out the industry's recommendations for action, and what it believes its future priorities should be.

The Climate Change Task Force is a joint initiative between the NFU, the Country Landowners Association (CLA) and the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC). The report underlines the essential role played by agriculture in the fight against climate change, and the substantial economic, social and environmental benefits in taking action now to ensure agriculture remains economically and environmentally viable.

Dr Scurlock said: "Given the UK and EU targets for green house gases and the challenging renewable energy targets in the EU Renewables Directive, there has never been a more critical time for the UK agriculture industry to demonstrate the contribution it can make."

Part of the Solution: Climate Change, Agriculture and Land Management emphasises the contribution that self-regulation can provide, highlights best practice and identifies areas for improvement. It also contains a series of recommendations, underlines the need for successful partnership working whilst highlighting the research needed to guide future development and the level of support required from the Government to achieve success.

The five priorities set out in the report for the agriculture and land management sector are: 1 Directed research on the UK greenhouse gas inventory to include: breakdown of components and emission factors more representative of land use and management; soil carbon and N2O balance; reduced or zero tillage systems; and integrated models of whole farming systems 2 Delivery of best available practices for integrated nitrogen management to improve current nitrogen efficiency, with support from the fertiliser industry, agronomists, advisers and animal nutritionists.

3 Raising awareness of energy and carbon accounting, and promoting energy efficiency and carbon management by farmers, land owners and foresters through financial incentives.

4 Removing barriers to the uptake of anaerobic digestion to harness methane emissions from animal manures as a source of heat and power, through education, capital and revenue-based support, cost-effective electricity grid connections, and establishment of a digestive standard.

5 Realising the wider potential for the land-based industries to supply renewable energy.

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