Better communication, partnerships and research can help farmers meet their climate challenges, says Matt Hubbard, Lloyds Banking Group Ambassador for the East of England.

With all of the recent focus on COP26, the country’s attention is now firmly fixed on how we can meet the government’s "net zero" target and transition to a low carbon economy.

For farmers, that’s no easy task – especially when we consider the breadth of other challenges they have to contend with.

Brexit, the competitiveness of UK produce as new trade deals are signed, changing consumption habits and labour shortages are just some of the issues the farming community is currently struggling with.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has set the agriculture sector an even more ambitious goal of transitioning to net zero by 2040, 10 years ahead of the UK government’s target.

The question, as I discovered at a discussion I hosted last month, is how can the industry best play its part?

It’s clear that broad-brush environmental schemes won’t work for all. As one farmer said: “What’s right for me isn’t necessarily right for the farm next door.”

A lack of consensus around how the sector should calculate its carbon footprint is also a problem.

Participants listed more than 60 carbon calculators available on the market – all of which give different results. Establishing one measurement that the sector can benchmark itself against could play a big part in this.

The owner of a farm outside Chelmsford pointed out that the role of the farmer has drastically changed from feeding the nation to tackling carbon emissions along the supply chain. Both tasks – particularly in the current economic climate – are huge.

Central to overcoming all these challenges is better communication and education.

Better communication, supported by the government, will help to shift mindsets so people understand the challenges each farmer faces. That should help find adequate solutions.

More research will also help to overcome those problems and help identify the right kind of support. Working in partnership is also critical.

So, we need some joined-up thinking – but we also need to remember that one size does not fit all.

As a Holkham-based environmental worker told our panel: This is a transition. Knowledge-sharing and keeping the dialogue going will help ease the journey – and make sure we stay on the right tracks to our destination.