Weathering the Storm - Saving and Making Money in a Changing Climate

7/27/2019 Weathering the Storm - Saving and Making Money in a Changing Climate

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Weathering the Storm -

Saving and Making Moneyin a Changing Climate

A Practical Guide for Farmers

and Land Managers in the

East Midlands

Updated 2013


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CLIMATE EAST MIDLANDS | ADAPTATION GUIDE FOR BUSINESS

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What do I need to know?

What are the eects o a changing climate likely to be? 1

How do weather and climate impact my business? 2

What can I do to prepare?

So, whats in it or my business? 3

How might I be aected? 4

Emergency contacts and important inormation 5

Checklist 6

Useful tools and further information 7

Content

This guide has been updated andpublished by Climate East Midlands, July

2013.

It has been adapted rom a conceptoriginated and developed by the

ollowing unding partners within the

West Midlands, in collaboration with

the UK Climate Impacts Programme(UKCIP) and the Government Ofce

West Midlands:

The West Midlands Climate ChangeAdaptation Partnership

Advantage West MidlandsEnvironment Agency

Business Link West MidlandsDEFRA

Quoting, copying and reproduction or

business purposes is permitted so long asull acknowledgement is given.


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Weathering the Storm

1

What do I need to know?

What are the effectsof a changing climatelikely to be?

More frequent and severe ooding

The majority o ooding is caused by heavy rainall which

can lead to rivers overtopping their banks or drainage

systems being unable to cope with the volume o water. In

the East Midlands, the estimated increase in average winter

rainall is 6% by the 2020s.

The period rom April to June 2012 was the wettest onrecord, and 2012 saw the wettest summer in 100 years.

The BBC reported that this cost Britains rural economy 1

billion. Farmers, tourist businesses and events organisers

were aected.

The oods o 2007 cost Lincolnshire County Council

1.85m in roads and property damage. The oods also

caused disruption to major inrastructure such as the

closure o the M1 at J30.

Do you know i your business (or key employees homes)

are in a ood risk area? I so, would your business survive a

serious ood? How would electric and computer systems,

stock and machinery be aected? How long would it take

to recover?

Hotter summers and milder winters

By the 2020s, the average summer temperature in the East

Midlands may increase by 1.4 C. Heatwaves are likely to

become more requent.

Seasonal timings will change, growing seasons lengthen,

and new crops may become viable. However, there will alsobe less water available or crops and l ivestock, more pests

and diseases, and a greater risk o heat stress aecting

animal health and welare.

In the East Midlands, it is estimated that the average

winter temperature may increase by 1.3 C by the 2020s.

Drought

A 4% reduction in summer rainall is estimated by the

2020s which, combined with increased temperatures,

could result in more droughts in the East Midlands. Water

shortages, particularly in the summer, could become more

requent.

Changes in water availability could pose risks to critical

growth periods and irrigated crops.

Storms and wind

Storm events can cause severe short term impacts

including disruption to services. Northamptonshire

experienced 66 extreme weather events between 1998and 2008, causing the county council 1.33m o property

insurance claims excluding costs due to loss o service

provision and sta time.

The requency and severity o storms and strong winds

may change. However, there is currently no evidence to

suggest an increase in the requency or severity o storms

or strong winds up to the 2050s.

Note: The above estimates o how the climate is likely

to change are taken rom the UK Climate Projections

2009 (UKCP09). The projections are based on emissions

scenarios, and show a range o possible outcomes and the

probability o each outcome. The fgures quoted above

are the central estimates based on the high emissions

scenario. For more inormation on UKCP09 see

http://ukclimateprojections.dera.gov.uk/

Few people know as much

as farmers about adapting

to our changeable weather.This guide builds on that

knowledge by looking longer

term at how the threats

and opportunities can be

managed to build

the resilience of farm

businesses.

Andrew Wells, Arable Alliance Ltd andFarming Advice Service consultant


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How do weather andclimate impact mybusiness?

The government tasked armers and land managers with

reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The industry has

committed to deliver this through The Greenhouse Gas

Action Plan. In addition, ood security is now high priority,

and energy and input costs on arm are rising.

Just over a third o all armers surveyed in England by

Farming Futures said they were already aected by

climate change, and nearly two thirds expect to beaected in the next 10 years. (Farming Futures Survey,

2011)

2012s wet summer cost rural Britain at least

1bn. Factors included reduced visitor numbers at

countryside attractions, cancelled events, additional

eed costs or livestock armers, and poor crop yields.

(BBC)

The 2007 oods cost East Midlands armers tens o

millions o pounds in lost crops, with several individual

armers losing hal a million pounds each. Losses

were in vegetables and potatoes in Lincolnshire andNottinghamshire, and combinable crops (wheat, barley,

oil seed rape) and grass where the rain ell heaviest

(NFU).

According to Farming Futures Climate Change Survey

2011, 43% o respondents saw unpredictable weather

as the climate change risk most likely to aect their

business. 50% o respondents thought climate change

would present risks and opportunities in equal measure.

In the year April 2011 to March 2012 the Environment

Agency in Midlands East Area restricted 166 abstraction

licences because o low river ows, whereas in the year

April 2012 to March 2013 only 12 abstraction licences

were restricted because o low river ows.

Preparing or a changing climate makes good business sense.

Experience in the East Midlands has shown that extreme

weather could have serious consequences or your business

operations: not just or your arm, but also by disrupting your

suppliers, distribution or customers.


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So, whats in itfor my business?

Like any other issue acing your business, it is important

to understand how extreme weather and climate change

impacts could aect you. Planning ahead rather than

responding reactively will help you to:

Manage the risks and costs that severe weather can

bring: build resilience and contingency planning into

your arming operations e.g. irrigation reservoirs or

improved scheduling to combat water shortages.

Save money through resource recycling (capture -storage - reuse) e.g. through rainwater harvesting.

Improve business perormance e.g. more efcient

ood production through improved management o

resources (nutrients, soil, water).

Take advantage o opportunities e.g. to invest in on-

arm renewable energy generation, or to grow energy

crops or exotic ood crops.

Make your environmental and resilience credentials a

selling point.

Whilst some o the actions may have an initial cost, they

should save you money in the long term.

See Farming Futures actsheets or more inormation:

http://www.armingutures.org.uk/resources/actsheets

Case Study: Fred WalterIncreasing resilience

Fred Walter and his amily run a arm near Retord in

Nottinghamshire. The arms wide range o soils has

prompted a variety o arming types: they arm about

1200ha o combinable crops, potatoes and energy

crops as well as a ock o 1200 sheep.

The arms commercial enterprises include short

rotation coppice (SRC) and a planned anaerobic

digester (AD) plant. Both these initiatives will help to

increase the arms resilience by:

Stabilising and improving the soil to help reduce

the impacts o severe weather, and increase the

arms productivity.

The arm is on porous, at, low-lying land, with

high groundwater, prone to ooding, erosion and

leaching o nutrients. Planting willow or SRC helps

to stabilise the soil and reduce soil erosion. It is a

low input crop which requires little in the way o

pesticides or artifcial ertilisers. The products rom

anaerobic digestion orm a consistent source o

nutrient-rich organic matter, which can help improve

soil condition and reduce reliance upon artifcial

ertiliser.

Generating energy on the arm to reduce

vulnerability to rising energy costs.

With SRC, the willow trees are used to produce wood

chip which can be used either or the production

o electricity, or burnt or heat. The AD plant will

provide electricity, and heat or wood drying. The

wood chip is also sold commercially.

Diversiying the arms activities to meet the

challenges that the uture will bring e.g. changes

in the climate, seasons and weather patterns, and

changes in the local and global economies.

This case study draws on a more detailed Farming

Futures case study, ocusing on SRC.

http://www.armingutures.org.uk


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How might I be affected?

Ask yourself:

In addition to the potential impacts that are common

to all businesses, the agricultural and horticultural

sector aces a dierent, and additional, set o issues.

These businesses are directly aected by climate, and

extreme weather events can have a signifcant impact.

Ask yoursel how your business may be aected both

negatively and positively by:

Increased rain and increased ood risks.

Reduction in quality and quantity o grass causedby lower rainall and higher temperatures during

summer (which may require eed or livestock to be

supplemented).

Reduced water availability (may aect yields o

ruit, vegetables and cereals and ability to irrigate).

Higher temperatures and increased carbon dioxide

in the atmosphere (some crops may ourish).

Changing climate conditions (could make it possible

to grow alternative crops, including crops or energy).

Heavy rainall events could provide opportunitiesor increased water storage or use during water

shortages.

Higher summer temperatures and reduced cloud

cover (could increase the risk o heatstroke and

sunburn or livestock in open pasture).

Higher average winter temperatures (could reduce

problems or livestock in reezing weather).

Higher winter temperatures and ewer days o

reezing weather (aects vernalisation o winter

cereals and ormation o ower buds on some

ruit trees).

Higher temperatures (could increase the risk o pests

and diseases in arable and horticultural crops).

Higher summer temperatures and reduced cloud

cover (could increase the demand or outdoor leisure

and tourism, which could create opportunities or

diversifcation).

Further information

Farming Futures actsheets: http://www.

armingutures.org.uk/resources/actsheets

A ull list o the Environment Agencys waterconservation publications is available here:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

research/library/publications/33993.aspx

Examples o good practice can be ound here:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/

business/sectors/32757.aspx

Take action:

Think about current trends and potential climate

changes and seek urther advice see below.

Photo courtesy o the NFU


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Further information

Is your business at risk o ooding? Find out now,

call the Environment Agency Floodline on 0845

988 1188 or visit www.environment-agency.gov.

uk/113798.aspx

The Environment Agency publication Would

your business stay afoat? A guide to preparing

your business or fooding has a simple template

to use to create a ood plan or your company:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/

topics/ooding/32362.aspx

Emergency contacts and important documents

Ask yourself:

Do you have a list o contacts that you can reach

in an emergency? Do your employees have

access to this list?

Have you got a copy o your important

documents saved in a separate location, or

example insurance policies, accounts documents,

chemical inventory, livestock records?

Do you have a back-up o any computer records?

Take action:

Create a list o emergency contacts - see the

template to the right.

Keep your documents in a sae place, or example

away rom the risk o ooding.

Back up any computer records regularly.


Emergency contact listtemplate

Fire/ Police/ Ambulance ...........................................................

Local police ....................................................................................

Local hospital ...............................................................................

Environment Agency Incident Hotline0800 807 060

Local Authority Emergency Planning

Department ..................................................................................

Water supplier ..............................................................................

Electricity company ...................................................................

Gas company ...............................................................................

Suppliers .........................................................................................

Distributors....................................................................................

Key customers ..............................................................................

Waste management contractor ...........................................

Specialist clean-up contractor ...............................................

Specialist advice..........................................................................


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Things to do now

Produce an emergency plan, including a list o emergency contacts

Sign up or ree ood alerts rom the Environment Agency call the Flood Line on 0845 988 1188 (alerts can be

sent by phone, text, email, ax or pager)

Ensure all records and important documents are stored in a sae place, including insurance documents

Maintain the efciency o existing feld drainage systems, keep outalls unblocked and ditches ree owing

Ensure buildings are maintained and prepared or more stormy weather

Things to do for longer term resilience

Collect rainwater or use in dry periods or crop irrigation, crop spraying and drinking water or livestock

Improve irrigation application efciency and maintain pumps and underground mains to avoid leaks

Improve the drainage, structure and management o your soils and take steps to avoid soil erosion

Increase slurry and manure storage to allow spreading when best or soil conditions and nutrient utilisation

Improve the inrastructure o your arm to cope with wetter weather e.g. tracks or livestock to prevent

poaching, adequate guttering and drainage to cope with storms

Ensure all ventilation, heating and cooling equipment is working efciently

Be extra vigilant or new pests, diseases and weed invasions to enable early action as necessary

Consider diversiying cropping to build resilience against unpredictable weather and climate

Plant trees as buer strips, to provide shade or livestock, reduce the impacts o ooding, and reduce soil

erosion


This checklist has been inspired by Farming Futures actsheet 3:

http://www.armingutures.org.uk/resources/actsheets

The actsheet contains additional actions you can take.

Checklist


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Useful tools and further information

Who How Can They Help? Contact Details

Agriculture and

Horticulture Development

Board (AHDB)

The AHDB delivers research and development, and knowledge transer

programmes to support industry competitiveness and sustainability.

http://www.ahdb.org.uk

Tel: 0247 669 2051

Association o British

Insurers (ABI)

ABI provide advice on insurance issues and have a range o insurance

publications or SMEs

http://www.abi.org.uk

Tel: 020 7600 3333

British Chambers o

Commerce (BCC)

Your Chamber o Commerce can provide advice, support and guidance on

climate change adaptation issues.

Find your local Chamber o Commerce on the website provided

http://www.britishchambers.org.uk

Tel: 020 7654 5800

Business in the

Community (BitC)

Business in the Community is a business-led charity providing practical support

to promote responsible business practice. Its members work together to

transorm communities by tackling issues where business can make a real

dierence.

http://www.bitc.org.uk/

Tel: 020 7566 8650

Climate East Midlands The climate change partnership coordinates action on the causes and

consequences o climate change, and is part o Climate UK.

http://www.climate-em.org.uk

Tel: 07854 284588

Climate UK Climate UK is a not-or-proft Community Interest Company working with

Climate Change Partnerships across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern

Ireland to promote action on climate change. They aim to investigate, inorm

and advise on risks and opportunities presented by climate change, and

coordinate and support integrated, sustainable and eective responses.

The Business Resilience Health Check tool identifes areas where business

operations could be aected by severe weather and climate change, and

produces a bespoke report outlining the actions you can take to make your

business more resilient: http://www.businessresiliencehealthcheck.co.uk

http://www.climateuk.net

Tel: 01664 502 650

Construction Industry

Research and Inormation

Association (CIRIA)

CIRIA provide inormation on the repair and restoration o buildings

ollowing oods

http://www.ciria.org/ooding

Department orEnvironment Food and

Rural Aairs (Dera)

Dera is the lead central government department on cl imate changeadaptation. Dera led on the UKs frst Climate Change Risk Assessment

published in January 2012 and led on the development o the National

Adaptation Programme, published in July 2013.

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/adapting-to-climate-change

Tel: 08459 335577

Environment Agency (EA) The EA is the lead Government agency in England and Wales on ooding

and broader environmental management and is the Governments delivery

body in England or climate change adaptation. The Climate Ready support

service helps businesses and other organisations prepare or climate change.

Inormation or the Agriculture and Forestry sector can be ound here:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/139933.aspx

Tools and inormation or businesses can be ound here:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/research/policy/132329.aspx

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk

Tel: 03708 506 506

Farming Advice Service

(FAS)

The FAS is provided by Dera, working with partners, to help improve the

environmental and economic perormance o arming in England. They

provide integrated advice on cross-compliance, nutrient management,competitiveness, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

http://armingadviceservice.org.uk

Tel: 0845 345 1302

Farming Futures Farming Futures provides armers and land managers with inspiration and

inormation to ensure their business is proftable and sustainable in a changing

economic and environmental climate.

Farming Futures is supported, amongst others, by Dera and the National

Farmers Union (NFU). It provides a series o act sheets and case studies on its

website, prepared or each arming sector:http://www.armingutures.org.

uk/resources/actsheets

http://www.armingutures.org.uk

Tel: 01223 342 313

Federation o Small

Businesses (FSB)

The FSB is the UKs largest campaigning pressure group promoting and

protecting the interests o the sel-employed and owners o small frms.

http://www.sb.org.uk/

Tel: 0808 2020 888

Gov.uk Gov.uk has replaced the Business Link website as the source o Government

services and inormation or businesses. At the time o going to print, the

Business Link helpline is available on 0845 600 9006.

https://www.gov.uk
http://www.gov.uk/http://www.gov.uk/


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Useful tools and further information

Who How Can They Help? Contact Details

Institution o

Occupational Saety and

Health (IOSH)

As the biggest health and saety membership organisation in the world, IOSH is

committed to creating a world o work which is sae, healthy and sustainable. IOSH

provides a range o ree guidance and online tools aimed at both the operational and

strategic level.

http://www.iosh.co.uk

Tel: 0116 257 3100

Kitemark Tested and approved ood protection products http://www.kitemark.com

Tel: 0845 0809 000

Met Ofce The UKs national weather service, with orecasts available rom its website. Forecasts

are or anything rom the next ew hours to the coming season

http://www.metofce.gov.uk

Tel: 01392 885680

National Farmers Union

(NFU)

The NFU champions British arming and provides proessional representation and

services to its members.

http://www.nuonline.com

Tel: 024 76858500

National Flood Forum A charity providing support and advice to communities and individuals that have

been ooded or are at risk o ooding. The Blue Pages is a directory o builders,

suppliers and other service providers who install or provide inormation on ood

protection and resilience products: http://www.bluepages.org.uk

http://www.nationaloodorum.

org.uk

Tel: 01299 403055

Natural England An independent public body that works to protect and improve Englands natural

environment.

Inormation or armers and land managers, e.g. on unding schemes such as

Environmental Stewardship and Catchment Sensitive Farming, can be ound here:

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/inormation_or/armers_and_land_

managers/deault.aspx

Inormation on sustainable adaptation and resilience to climate change can be

ound here: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/climateandenergy/

climatechange/adaptation/deault.aspx

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk

Tel: 0845 6003078

UK Climate Change Risk

Assessment (UK CCRA)

The Government published the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment in January 2012,

the frst assessment o its kind or the UK, and the frst in a 5 year cycle. Outputs

include a summary report o the key fndings, and a summary report or the Business,

Industry and Services sector.

https://www.gov.uk/government/

publications/uk-climate-change-risk-

assessment-government-report

UK Climate Impacts

Programme (UKCIP) UKCIP helps organisations assess how they might be aected by climate change, sothey can prepare or its impacts. Tools that UKCIP have prepared include BACLIATand CLARA or businesses and business advisors respectively.

http://www.ukcip.org.uk

Tel: 01865 285717

UK Climate Projections

2009 (UKCP09)

Explore the climate projections online. The key fndings or the East Midlands are here:

http://ukclimateprojections.dera.gov.uk/21711

http://ukclimateprojections.dera.

gov.uk


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Contact Details

W:www.climate-em.org.uk

E:[email protected]

T:07854 284 588

Address:

Climate East Midlands

Phoenix House

Nottingham Road

Melton Mowbray

LE13 0UL

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Weathering the Storm - Saving and Making Money in a Changing Climate