Recent statistics show that on-farm production of renewable energy and the completion of carbon audits are becoming more mainstream in farming. The data is from a publication ‘Energy use on Farms’ and is sourced from the Farm Business Survey in England.
In terms of renewables, the data indicates that over a third of farms now generate energy on-farm from renewable sources. Perhaps not surprisingly, solar is the main technology, although renewable heat and wind power are also well-represented. The statistics also provide more detail on the reasons and barriers to farmers adopting renewables.
The data finds that, overall, 20% of English farms had done a carbon audit. The figures are based on the 2023/24 Farm Business Survey, so the numbers are likely to have risen since then. There is a large disparity between sectors. In the Dairy sector 57% of farms had done an audit – largely driven by processor requirements. This drops to 15% in the Cereals sector and just 7% for Pigs and Poultry. The most commonly used calculators were Agrecalc and Farm Carbon Calculator, with 44% and 23%, respectively, using these tools.
The full release can be found at – https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-use-on-farms-in-england/energy-use-on-farms-in-england-202324
The Andersons Centre carries out carbon audits for its clients. If you would like a farm carbon audit undertaking or would like to discuss the merits of having an audit please contact us via [email protected]
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