Net Zero requires ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions on beef and sheep farms coordinated with afforestation and other land use change measures
CONTEXT: The UK Climate Change Committee has recommended a 64% reduction in greenhouse gas emissionsfrom the agriculture and land-use sector to meet the 2050 Net Zero target in the UK. However, it is unclear howthis reduction can be achieved at a farm level.OBJECTIVE: Using detailed real farm data and novel modelling approaches, we investigated the managementinterventions and afforestation that would be required to deliver Net Zero within the farm boundary.METHODS: Baseline carbon footprints were calculated for twenty Welsh beef and sheep farms using the Agrecalccarbon calculator, whilst carbon sequestration was estimated using Bangor University’s Carbon FootprintingTool. Scenarios were created to determine the emissions reductions achievable on each farm through implementationof cost-effective mitigation measures. Mitigation measures and their abatement potentials weresourced from the most recent UK Marginal Abatement Cost Curve, which allow emissions to be reduced mostlythrough improvements in efficiency thus maintaining the production of the system. Area footprints werecalculated for production, with and without offset (afforested) areas needed to achieve Net Zero
