NFU Calls for Government Coordination to Hit UK Farm Net‑Zero by 2040

TL;DR: The NFU says UK agriculture can reach net‑zero emissions by 2040 only if the government delivers a coordinated strategy and supply‑chain incentives. Without such support, the sector’s goal remains extremely difficult to achieve.

In 2019 the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) announced that UK farming aims to hit net‑zero a decade ahead of the government’s 2050 target. The ambition was framed as a sector‑wide aspiration, not a requirement for each individual farm, and it hinged on policy support, land‑use changes, renewable energy growth, and bioeconomy development. The NFU stressed that meeting the target must not reduce domestic food output or shift emissions abroad through imports.

The NFU based its 2040 target on analysis of the UK’s greenhouse gas inventory, projecting emissions cuts from livestock management, soil carbon sequestration, and energy efficiency gains.

The NFU’s 2019 announcement set a 2040 net‑zero deadline for UK agriculture, ten years earlier than the national climate goal. NFU President Tom Bradshaw warned that without a clear, coordinated government strategy and incentives for the supply chain, achieving net zero in farming will be extremely difficult. The UK agrifood sector, which the NFU cites as the nation’s largest manufacturing industry, is valued at over £150 billion and employs more than 4 million people.

Achieving net zero by 2040 would require widespread adoption of practices such as precision fertiliser use, cover cropping, and anaerobic digestion, alongside expansion of on‑farm renewables like solar and wind. The NFU’s position links climate action to farm profitability, arguing that resilient, low‑carbon systems can protect yields amid increasing droughts and floods.

Success depends on government delivering long‑term contracts, carbon‑pricing mechanisms, and support for supply‑chain actors to reward low‑carbon products.

What to watch next: Policymakers’ upcoming agriculture bill and any new funding schemes for carbon sequestration will signal whether the coordinated strategy the NFU demands materializes.