Following years of NFU campaigning, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held the first UK Farm to Fork Summit on 16 May, bringing together representatives from across the UK supply chain to discuss vital measures needed to build resilience for British food security.
One of the key outcomes from the Summit was the need for energy security; recognising the rise in global energy prices has impacted many food and farming businesses and action needs to be taken.
Government has committed to:
- Investigate what more can be done to support Controlled Environment Horticulture (CEH); especially those struggling to provide the necessary data to qualify for the energy intensive industries exemption scheme.
- Allow glasshouses to benefit from decarbonisation and better access to renewables in order to increase domestic horticulture production and extend the growing season.
- Utilise industrial and power sector waste heat as a thermal source of energy for glasshouses, and look at options for co-location to improve energy efficiencies.
- Open up investment in barn top solar through our new farming scheme grants.
This is welcome news for the sector, particularly glasshouses where energy is a large proportion of their input costs. Read the full update from Government here.
District Eating Project
NFU Energy has already been working to provide solutions to help growers reduce CO2 emissions by enabling access to stable and lower-cost heat. The project, which was headed up by NFU Energy and District Eating, and part-funded by Innovate UK, aims to improve resilience for both growers and sites with industrial waste heat.
Read more about the project here. Alternatively, give the team a call on 024 7669 6512 or email [email protected]