Politicians need to be braver

That was the view of Professor Sir Charles Godfray, director of the future of food programme at the University of Oxford, when he addressed this week's National Farm Management Conference in London.

"I would argue that the UK has an obligation to produce more food not just to help feed its own population but the growing world population," he said.

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"But that will require some serious thought into how more food can be produced while reducing greenhouse gases and improving biodiversity."

He called for more focus on managing methane with Government support to help farmers reduce methane emissions and more investment in systems which reduce the gas.

Methane

"Reducing methane is one of the few ways of cooling the planet and encouraging farmers across the world to do that will benefit everyone. There are some very exciting projects looking at how methane can be reduced, but also some snake oil systems. Which means there has to be a way of certifying methane-reducing projects and products."

He warned the audience commercial commitments mean meat companies will continue to develop ways of using meat alternatives which will impact on livestock production. He also said a meat tax might be revisited at some point, despite the current government ruling it out. 

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Sam Hall, director of the Conservative Party's Environment Network, said Defra has not yet developed a coherent agricultural and environmental policy despite some good intentions.

He said: "The transition can be beneficial for farmers. With the right policies, farmers can benefit from new revenue streams for nature, save money on inputs, and satisfy requirements from food companies, who are increasingly factoring biodiversity into their plans."