Paul Cottington, LLM, MSc, MIEEM SW NFU Environment Adviser

The components of Net Zero

The components of Net Zero

A Basic SWOT

A Basic SWOT

Understanding the bass for

Cornwall

Understanding the bass for

Cornwall

What can Cornwall

Council do?

What can Cornwall

Council do?

Drafts thoughts of

sector actions

Drafts thoughts of

sector actions

What does Net Zero

represent for the sector?

What does Net Zero

represent for the sector?

Understanding the components to achieve Net Zero

• Know your science

• Understand the different parties and communicate to them effectively

• Communicate a complex story simply.

• Knowing your baselines

• Having the different parties with “skin in the game” with the right tools

• Develop the right tools

• Communicate effectively

• Set up the right governance and rules to make this happen.

We must understand the bass

XX

Understanding the data and baselines.

1. Baselines show where you are and where you have been.

2. You can create opportunity and understand reality.

3. We must have good verification and certification.

4. What does the data mean at a Cornwall Level

5. What does the data mean at an England level?

1. The role of of Cornwall for food production

1. Link to Agriculture Bill

2. The role of Cornwall for achieving climate change goals.

sheep total cattle permanent grass (ha) farmed area (ha)0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

484438

331365

143661

277427

506628

323440

138390

263253

Cornwall Farm stats 1

2013 2016

livest

ock lf

a (ha)

livest

ock lo

wla

nd (ha)

cere

als (h

a)

general c

roppin

g (ha)

horticu

lture

(ha)

pigs

tem

p gra

ss (h

a)

farm

woodla

nd (ha)

maize

(ha)

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

41019

81325

19667

32279

9371

47313

42897

8043 6997

39791

77975

17254

32302

12887

53276

40482

81966381

Cornwall Farm stats 2

2013 2016

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

-140.0

-120.0

-100.0

-80.0

-60.0

-40.0

-20.0

-

-50.0

-62.5

-69.6

-77.8-81.6

-88.6

-95.4-98.2

-107.6-110.2

-117.5 -118.3

-125.2

Cornwall LULUCF

YEAR

CO2

em

issi

ons

esti

ma

tes

200

5-2

017

(kt

CO2)

What makes LULUCF go up and down?

5B2 Land converted to Cropland (soil)5A2 Land converted to Forest Land 5C2 Land converted to Grassland (soil) 5E2 Land converted to Settlements (soil) 5G Harvested Wood Products 5B1 Cropland remaining Cropland (lowland drainage) 5B1 Cropland remaining Cropland (Yield improvement) 5B Liming of Cropland 5C1 Grassland remaining Grassland (Peat extraction)5C Liming of Grassland 79.20 5B2 Land converted to Cropland (other) 5A2 Wildfires on Forest Land 5C2 Land converted to Grassland (deforestation to grass)5E Land converted to Settlements (deforestation to settlements)5C2 Land converted to Grassland (other)5E2 Land converted to Settlements (other)5E1 Settlements remaining Settlements 5A1 Forest Land remaining Forest Land 5D1 Wetlands remaining Wetlands 5D2 Land converted to Wetlands 5F1 Other Land remaining Other Land5F2 Land converted to Other Land

What can Cornwall Council do?

Can influence through lobbying and partnership

New agricultural and environmental

schemes

Support through regional bodies (e.g. Cornwall and Isles of

Scilly LEP)

Can enable through policy, funding and communication

Consumption

Productivity

Sequestration and preventing new losses

Governance and tools

In direct controlSupporting services• Planning• Links to other services eg. health

and well being

Procurement• Buy from local producers• Support farms that carbon

sequester, or prevent carbon loss

Management of estate• Sequestration• Improved productivity• Renewable energy

What can we do as a sector in Cornwall? Some draft thoughts

OverarchingLocal authority and residents investing in actions to improve climate resilience and environment conditions in Cornwall

• Create a platform that allows Local Authorities, businesses and residents to engage with farmers and landowners who are willing to deliver actions that provide public benefit in addition to government funded agri-environment schemes.

Greater links between producers, consumers and local authority procurement.

• A food economy that supports farming businesses taking action to have a positive impact on the environment both at a climate level but also wide landscape, biodiversity and social level.

Understanding the capability and opportunities with regard to land use and land management

• Map of fragile and vulnerable soils. • Map showing areas with greatest

opportunities and issue with regard to soil carbon and compaction.

• Map showing current land use and also Ag Land Values.

• Use this to get an understanding of that can be achieved and to then link this with multiple benefits.

Link carbon to other values and benefits • Mapping of natural capital for and ecosystem services and map these to how they will go up or down with regard to action on CO2.

Production• Create baseline emissions profile for

Cornwall agriculture• Brief report and map showing

emissions data for Cornwall farming and land use.

• Reduced net emissions per unit of output from agricultural to zero by 2030 ??????

• Farm businesses benchmarking their carbon footprinting.

• Farm businesses transitioning to best practice farming practices.

• Farm businesses adopting farming practices that deliver the net zero target.

• Improved farm economics by accessing markets that pay a better return for agricultural products at a national and international scale.

Consumption• Create a baseline of impact of

consumption for residents and local authority.

• Create a series of graphics to represent emissions and land footprint based on consumption of Cornwalls population and local authority consumption.

• Cornish residents make consumption choices that are linked to a healthy and balanced diet.

• Growth in availability and labelling of carbon friendly foods.

• Cornwall Council local procurement.

• Authority procurement policies prioritise purchasing decisions that sources food from local, UK and international sources that are climate friendly.

Sequestering

Create value of how much additional CO2 can be sequestered.

• list of measures and CO2 values for sequestering. E.g. Use of biochar.

• Link to land management measures required to deliver this.

• Improved farm economics by accessing carbon markets that pay a better return for agricultural products at a national and international scale.

Follow the money

• ELMS

• New markets

• Supply chain incentives/ requirements.

What does Net Zero represent for agriculture?

• Net Zero represents an opportunity to be more efficient and productive

• Net Zero represents an opportunity to develop new markets.

• Net Zero represents an opportunity to add value to the land

• Net Zero represents an opportunity for the sector to take the lead and deliver positive solutions that work for all of us.

And if we are successful?

Step 2: What do we need to achieve Net Zero for agriculture in Cornwall?

ValueValue

Extrinsic• Monetary value for

society and the deliverer

• Benefit as a service for society

• Value as part of the farmers wider views (conservation etc)Intrinsic

• Value for the natural capital in itself.

Feedback on results

Tools for engagement

Tools for engagement

Systems for advice and guidance

Capacity to engage with farmers and the

agricultural supply chain

Technology that enables farmers make decisions.

KISS

Feedback on results

OwnershipOwnership

We must have reliable and robust

data

Farmers must be ACTIVE and not PASSIVE.

Understanding the reasons for action, what

is needed.Making it central to the

farming business and the agricultural sector.

Having agriculture oversee its’ part of the system

Work in partnership with clear roles.

Feedback on results