Farming Sustainably Report

As stewards of the countryside, the agricultural sector has shaped our rural environment and communities for generations. UK farms have long been intrinsic to the nation’s food security and today, they are also on the front line of tackling wider issues such as biodiversity, environmental protection and global warming.

However, a series of geo-political crises and uncertainties – inflation, the war in Ukraine, extreme weather and the Pandemic – have created unprecedented challenges for UK farmers. Heavy rainfall and cool summer temperatures have exacerbated an already precarious situation this year, delivering a low yielding harvest, made worse by economic instability and escalating costs. On the ground, these conditions have made it challenging to even get tractors and livestock into waterlogged fields. As a result, we have seen the culmination of a “perfect storm” of crises, which are pushing farm margins to the brink and putting up prices for everyday staples, such as bread.

This Farming Sustainably Report builds on SEUK’s Farming Factsheet, produced with the assistance of Dr Jonathan Scurlock, NFU Chief Adviser on Renewable Energy and Climate Change, which stressed solar farms “do not in any way present a risk to the UK’s food security,” contrary to false and misleading claims in the media and even those expressed in parliament.

Solar Energy UK Member Author:

Jake Setterfield, Senior Account Director, Meeting Place