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Britain’s farmers will feel the impact of climate change both directly and indirectly. Rising temperatures and longer growing seasons will give the opportunity to diversify and grow a greater range of crops, while changing rainfall patterns might require irrigation or water storage facilities to ensure summer water supplies.
A changing climate could see new pests and diseases affecting crops and livestock, and as the public lifestyles and tastes respond to a changed climate, there may be shifting demands that could impact on existing farm produce.
The impacts of climate change on farmers in other European countries will also be felt domestically, with possible opportunities for growth into new markets and changes in competitors. Farmers are used to dealing with the variabilities of our weather, but planning ahead will help to ensure that they are able to prepare for the challenges and make the most of the opportunities.
Agricultural businesses will need to adapt to the effects of changing climatic conditions to ensure economic viability, while at the same time continue to improve sustainable practices to reduce agriculture's impact on the environment.
A write-up of the event in September 2006 organised jointly by UKCIP, the NFU and the CLA, which sought to further examine the impacts of a changing climate for the agricultural and rural economy and to explore appropriate adaptation responses is available online here.
Adapting to climate change: the challenge for European agriculture and rural
areas
17 March 2009: As predicted but only confirmed in a
meeting with DG Environment in mid-March, the Commission will publish an additional
Working Document
to accompany the White Paper on Adaptation on 1 April 2009. The document
prepared by DG Agriculture aims to engage the Member States and the farming
community into a debate on adaptation needs that result from climate
pressures.
The document summarises the main impacts of climate change on
EU agriculture, examines adaptation needs, describes the role of the CAP and
outlines orientations for future action, as follows:
- Prioritising no
regret measures
- Strengthening the role of agriculture as a provider of
ecosystem services
- Enhancing resilience of agricultural infrastructure
- Developing synergies between adaptation and mitigation
- Improving the
adaptive capacity of farmers
- Facilitating co-operation between Member
States
- Enhancing research on climate and agriculture
- Developing
vulnerability indicators
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