| Energy
On-farm AD in a post-CAP world
By Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources
Association (ADBA).
f one thing is
certain about
Brexit at the
moment, it’s that
everything is
uncertain – and
the future of UK farming is no
exception. While Brexit
negotiations are taking place as
we speak, there’s still little
indication from government as to
what the future of farming in the
I
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UK will look like once we leave the
European Union, and in particular
how UK farmers will be supported
once Common Agriculture Policy
(CAP) payments are phased out.
What is needed now is action
from government to reassure and
support UK farmers. One key way
in which it could do this is to
provide support to the on-farm
anaerobic digestion (AD) industry,
which recycles organic farm
wastes (including slurries, chicken
litter, vegetable offcuts, outgrade
crops, and animal by-products)
and energy crops into renewable
heat and electricity, low-carbon
transport fuel, and nutrient-rich
biofertiliser.
AD has a crucial role to play in
keeping farmers farming,
particularly in a post-CAP world.
Integrating AD into a farming
business can provide a lucrative
additional revenue stream whilst
saving farmers money on energy,
fuel, fertiliser, herbicide, and waste
management. At a wider level, it
can reduce current agricultural
payments under the CAP by up to
£1.5bn.
The UK therefore urgently
needs a new agricultural policy
that will directly support on-farm
AD as part of broader efforts to
support farmers to deliver
environmental benefits. ADBA has
called for swift action from the
government to overcome
uncertainty in the AD industry so it
can boost the rural economy,
creating 35,000 rural jobs and
ensuring security of energy supply
at a time when a third of the UK’s
natural gas imports come from
troubled Qatar.
But what should this support
look like? First, in order to lock in
the progress that on-farm AD has
made over recent years, ADBA is
calling for viable tariffs to be
restored to the Feed-in-Tariff
scheme and the AD capacity cap
to be removed. Second, it’s critical
that the delayed legislation on the
Renewable Heat Incentive is
passed as soon as possible to
enable new on-farm biogas and
biomethane plants to be built.
The government also needs to
get creative in providing additional
revenue streams for on-farm AD
plants, which offer such a huge
range of environmental and
economic benefits. How about
credits for the production of
renewable biofertiliser, which
replaces fossil-fuel-based artificial
fertilisers and returns nutrients to
the soil? Or an agricultural
greenhouse gas abatement fund
that recognises the huge
contribution to agriculture
decarbonisation that AD makes?
Even something as straightforward
as a more favourable tax system
for AD could have a huge impact.
What is needed now is action
from government to reassure
and support UK farmers
Progress and innovation in on-
farm AD also needs to come from
within the industry, which is why
later this year ADBA will be
launching its pioneering Best
Practice Scheme. This will support
AD operators to meet the highest
environmental, health and safety,
and operational standards and
allow those certifying to benefit
from reduced costs and improved
plant performance.
When combined, all of these
factors can help to make AD an
even more attractive prospect for
UK farmers, offering them vital
support in an uncertain world.
You can find out more about
how AD can benefit your farm by
visiting adbioresources.org or by
following us on twitter at
@adbioresources
October 2017 | Farming Monthly | 29