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Grazing Pressure
Grazing pressure has transformed our world and it must be used again to transform it once more. The Sahara was created by grazing pressure and is expanding as a consequence. The same applies to the American dust bowl. The Highland clearances combined with the removal of predators like Lynx and Wolves have devastated Scotland. That perceived magnificent scenery is man made. The Lake District should be covered in Atlantic rain forest. Samuel Johnson once complained bitterly that his beloved “Peak District had been ruined by cutting down all the trees and building thousands of miles of hideous dry stone walls”. Although the title of this post is simple “grazing pressure” I am including grazing of plants other than grasses here. That includes tree leaves, seedlings and even water plants. this is more accurately called browsing. It is not just cows sheep and rabbits that do the damage. So do goats, deer and other small mammals. Our insatiable demand in the west for meat has changed our world. We have also hunted other large predators almost…
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Grown in the Lab
Fantastic, we can now have meat, sugar and butter grown in the lab. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2ern1zjkvyo Meat, sugar and butter grown in the lab How efficient is it to grow meat? Lets have a look. Who is doing it? IFT? We talked to Ivy Farm Technologies in Oxford who are ready to go with lab-grown steaks, made from cells taken from Wagyu and Aberdeen Angus cows. Can you have a fatty steak or streaky bacon? It takes two years at least to grow most steaks.
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Sugar and the Bees
Sugar and the Bees – Sustainable Food Production The use of neonicotinoids is controversial, but we know that they are absolutely lethal to bees. They are a class of neurotoxic pesticides, banned in the EU, loved by Sugar Beet farmers in the UK. Their use has sparked intense debate among scientists, environmentalists and policymakers. As their impact on ecosystems becomes increasingly evident, the call for a ban on these substances has gained momentum. This post will explore the effect of such a ban which finally appears to be in place on the UK Statute Book. On the other hand and rather dramatically, Sugar could be described as lethal to humans. This is the crop which is reliant on Neonicotinoids grown around 100,000 hectares n the UK. Sugar beet is grown entirely to produce Sugar. It has a byproduct, Sugar Beet Pulp which is a useful animal feed with about two million tonnes produced each year. Farmer Reaction and Why this is a Great Development for UK Farmers The Farming lobby and the NFU are up…
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The Concept of Net Zero is Flawed
The concept of net zero is flawed, although achieving an equilibrium between carbon output and carbon sequestration is a fine ambition. However we don’t measure outputs properly or report them properly. This leads to what I refer to as Net Zero Nonsense. It is a political ambition whose date can rather conveniently be moved around to suit other policy choices. Let’s have a look at why the concept of Net Zero is terminally flawed. Introduction to Net Zero The term net zero has gained significant traction in recent years, particularly as nations, corporations, and individuals strive to address climate change. Simply put, net zero refers to balancing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted with an equal amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere. However, understanding the nuances of this concept is crucial for effective action against climate change. This article delves into the challenges and misconceptions surrounding net zero, particularly highlighting the complexities and pitfalls associated with its implementation in various sectors, including the aviation industry. What is Net Zero? Net zero is a…
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How Many Climate Change Warnings do we Need
As storm Eowyn hits Yorkshire I wonder how many climate change warnings do we need. We are definitively in a climate emergency, despite the denials from international leaders and influencers who should know better. How Many Climate Change Warnings do we Need What are the 7 effects of climate change? What are 10 ways to reduce global warming? Government Trump
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Can We Build A Sustainable Future for Farming
Introduction – A Sustainable Future for Farming The agricultural sector is at a crossroads, faced with the pressing need to adapt to climate change and an increasing demand for food. Sustainable agriculture has emerged as a crucial approach to address these challenges, focusing on methods that promote environmental health, economic viability, and social equity. This article explores a sustainable future for farming by rethinking traditional and modern farming practices, particularly in the context of livestock and crop production. We delve into the implications of chemical fertilisers, the role of innovative plant breeding, and an evaluation of dairy production, ultimately proposing alternatives that align with sustainable principles. Managing our Soil – Understanding the Concept of No Fertiliser In the quest for a sustainable future for farming, the reliance on chemical fertilisers has come under scrutiny. These substances, while effective in boosting crop yields, can lead to long-term degradation of soil health. Chemical fertilisers disrupt the natural balance of soil ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and harming beneficial microorganisms. Over time, soil becomes reliant on these inputs, leading to…
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Sustainability in Farming
When I talk about sustainability in farming, which I do a lot, I don’t just mean looking after the environment and reducing global warming. I mean making sure farming communities benefit in future from sustainability in farming. They need to earn a decent living whilst caring for our precious countryside. And currently, in the UK, farming patently isn’t sustainable at all. The average age of a farmer has been rising steadily for years and is now about 65. That tells you something is seriously wrong. “Our Sustainability Snippet” I met this tree which stands alone in a field in Dentdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in July 2023. It is vast. A Sycamore, the girth 4 metres plus, putting it at about 450 years old. It is grazed to the base yet one or two epiphytes cling to its upper branches. It should be the centre-piece of a rehabilitated woodland, surrounded by Sessile Oak, Hazel and Birch. I registered it with the Woodland Trust that very night. They were unaware of its existence. Sustainability…
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Soil
Soil is something we all take for granted. I’m surprised, first of all, that I have not written about this before. Soil is the absolute foundation for farming and we exploit soil at our peril. It comes in many guises, from peat to clay and that in turn affects the vegetation that grows in that soil, including all of our food. Soil erosion and loss is a huge factor affecting our world. Soil stores carbon. Bare soil is an absolute catastrophe for the planet, it simply bleeds CO2. This continues until all that is left is sand. Historically (i.e. more than 150 years ago) Carbon Dioxide levels in out atmosphere were not really affected by either farming or wood and fossil fuel burning. Even so humans had already started destroying soils, the prime example being the massive expansion of the Sahara desert by grazing pressure from livestock. Where did soil come from. A great place to learn about this is by watching Earth with Chris Packham.
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Feed or Save Our World ?
Feed or Save Our World; that is the question asked by farmers. The simple academic answer is we must save the world, then we can feed the humans. In trying harder and harder simply to feed ten billion we are destroying our home. It must also be pointed out that it is a shared home. We now know we cannot survive without the ecological support of stable, ancient and complex ecosystems. These ecosystems need land and water every bit as much as we do. Here are a few hard facts; Climate change is already responsible for more migration than conflict; Land is a scarce resource and becoming scarcer by the day; It is farmers who feed the vast majority of the humans on the planet and most pertinent of all It is also farmers who feed the majority of mammals and birds on the planet. This letter has also been published as an Earth and Leaf blog which you can find at https://earthandleaf.org/feed-or-save-our-world/ So why pay to join Earth and Leaf? Have a look at…
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Net Zero and Carbon Credits Exposed for all to See!
Net Zero and Carbon Credits are both concepts that allow polluters to continue to pollute. Fact. Both ideas have been drawn up to not rock the boat, yet to appear as though governments are doing something about global warming. The glaring problem with Net Zero and Carbon Credits are the words “net” and “credits”. https://www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf I’m writing this because today I learned that an estate in Leicestershire will earn £120,000 by farming sustainably. Every farmer should be farming sustainably. There’s a dark side to the £120,000 though. The farm in question is selling the carbon credits. Some are being bought by the Mercedes Benz formula one team so that they can claim in time to becoming a net zero racing outfit. In other words Mercedes Benz are buying Net Zero and Carbon Credits to improve their status whilst still producing the same level of CO2. And remember CO2 production is cumulative not annually turned over. Net Zero and Carbon Credits are misleading. Im typing stuff just for the sake of typing the words net zero…
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Our National Parks are Stunning but Flawed
Our National Parks are stunning but flawed. They are not quite what they seem. Yes they are beautiful, they preserve the heritage of their area at least physically, but not socially.
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Methane Emissions Must be Eliminated as a No 1 Priority
Short term gains in the fight to save the planet can be made if we understand that dealing with methane emissions must be a priority 1st is best. Methane is rapidly heating up our world and some sources we can directly control. Its is fact that Carbon Dioxide does most of the long term damage, but it is also true that Methane is over thirty times more potent than CO2. Methane also leaves the atmosphere fairly quickly, Carbon Dioxide does not. So, where are the sources of Methane emissions? Agriculture, decomposition of waste and fossil fuels – these are under our control and account for 60% of the Methane in the atmosphere. The majority of this is agriculture, namely livestock farming. Wetlands are the largest natural source and there is little we can do there. However wetlands absorb methane too and vast amounts of Carbon Dioxide. Wetlands are also critical for biodiversity and home to a disproportionately large number of species: All about Methane Emissions Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas, and is the…
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Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel?
There is a good biomass case study right on our doorstep here in Yorkshire. Drax power station. Drax was responsible for three per cent of the UKs total carbon emissions last year. Our last coal fired power station at Ratcliffe on Soar was responsible for a quarter of that. This power station closed on Monday 30th September 2024. Frankie Mayo, an analyst at Ember, said: “Burning wood pellets can be as bad for the environment as coal; supporting biomass with subsidies is a costly mistake.” Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ? There are some biomass articles in our Document Library relating to Drax: If you want to learn more about what you can do change our world, become a full member at Earth and Leaf Is Biomass a Sustainable Fuel ? – Q and A Question Where do the Drax biomass wood pellets come from? Answer North America and Canada, a little from the UK Conclusion How much Carbon Dioxide does Drax produce each year? Drax directly produces 11.5 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per…
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Understanding Climate Change – Insights for all
This topic “Understanding Climate Change – Insights for all” is all good solid science. Predictions indicating what might happen in the future vary. We are now absolutely certain the 1.5 degree target has already been breached. Climate change is disrupting stable and ancient weather patterns. There are some striking things happening in our UK environment. For example Ospreys nationally have had an appalling season, unable to feed young as fishing very difficult and beset by bad weather. Many nests have completely failed. Bats this year are starving and will suffer a population crash. They are unable to feed due to lack of insects. This is partly bad weather, but significantly river pollution with sewage is a major factor. Insects in general are having a bad time year on year due to habitat destruction, herbicide and pesticide use and poor weather. Of course we will have good and bad weather years as part of the natural cycle. Climate change is not natural. However, our environment is not resilient any more because we have destroyed so much…
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Bottom Trawling Destroys the Seabed and Must End Now
3 Unquestionable Reasons Why Trawling is Bad
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Ghost Bats
Ghost Bats are under serious threat. This highlights a huge issue that the human race has in the fight against climate change. Entitlement. We must change our attitudes on land ownership. We must challenge the big five world agribusinesses. Five large multinationals dominate the agricultural value chain: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Bunge, Cargill, China Oil and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) and Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC). The article below tells you all you need to know about how self interested land owners think they an do what they like with the land. Not Another Ghost – Surely This Has To Stop . . . https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/jun/14/out-of-sight-and-out-of-mind-conservationists-alarmed-as-nt-land-clearing-threatens-endangered-ghost-bat-habitat When are the human race going to stop and think about their actions? We need to reach a point where removal of any trees any where on our precious world is treated as a crime against humanity, a war crime. It is that serious. This habitat cannot be replaced or moved or offset with some carbon credits. The proposal is to clear 6000 Hectares of forest in the Northern Territory. Australia’s environment…
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Don’t buy an SUV – They do the Most Damage
If I am told “Don’t buy an SUV” what should my reply be? The answer is that it is good to ask the question. We don’t believe that anyone is “entitled” to do this. SUVs are a major contributor to global warming. SUVs around the world contribute more to global CO2 emissions than Japan. https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/suvs-drive-20-of-emissions-growth-6036196 Dont buy an SUV Electric vehicles still generate CO2 in large quantities – dont be fooled. They are not the answer.
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Two Rivers and a Water Authority
The Severn and the Trent make up the two rivers and a water authority. No other country in the world has a fully privatised water supply and waste water system. Not one. As a matter of fact even this statement is not entirely true. It is just England and Wales. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it is still in public ownership. The news a few days ago that Severn Trent is to pay out £300 million in dividends is a shock – read here. This on top of making £200 million profit. This money must be reinvested in the infrastructure. Two Rivers and a Water Authority – A Personal Tale from the Riverbank Many years ago I worked on a big dairy farm near the Trent, one of the Two Rivers. Franny, our tractor driver and I worked overtime to try and empty the slurry store one year. It was never ending. One Sunday morning we turned up for work early to be greeted by one of the two brothers who owned the farm. There…
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Crofting is Sustainable Farming
This post explains why Crofting is Sustainable Farming, particularly on farming with beef and sheep. Why? Firstly it is important to state that crofting is a developed traditional farming system that makes best use of it’s local environment for farming. The fact it is relatively not harmful for wildlife is coincidental and crucial. The only fertiliser used traditionally is seaweed. That’s fine within reason. It is also coincidental because support of crofting is national policy in Scotland. How is it that Crofting is sustainable farming?
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A Farmers Perspective, where do we go from here
From a farmers perspective times are hard. Not least, the weather has been awful for the last year. However that is not the only issue. We live in changing times where the guaranteed subsidies available under the European Union are being removed. Alternative programs are being put in place such as the ……………………………. and the Welsh …………………………… This is why we are developing the Shepherds of the Trees project. A Farmers Perspective Times are changing. The weather is more challenging. Our relationship with the EU has changed. Meat consumption is falling. Certain industries, namely sheep, beef and dairy are highly inefficient uses of land and energy. Is it really that hard to find an external link for farming
