A NEW panel has been appointed by NFU Scotland to identify key issues related to climate change and Scottish agriculture.

The union's newly established 'Climate Change Advisory Panel' is made up of a mixture of active farmers and land use and climate change policy experts.

It will incorporate practical knowledge with technical expertise on matters relating to land use and climate change and will make recommendations to NFU Scotland’s Environment and Land Use Committee.

The creation of the panel builds on recent research carried out by Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes (SEFARI) fellow, Dr Gemma Miller, in collaboration with NFUS, that clarified the impact that elements of Scottish agriculture have had on the climate and resulted in the publication of six factsheets.

NFUS vice president Martin Kennedy chairs the new panel which has already held its first meeting over Zoom: “NFU Scotland recognises that agriculture has a critical role to play in responding to the climate emergency and delivering a green recovery from COVID-19. We know that Scottish farmers and crofters have worked hard to reduce their emissions since 1990," he continued.

“By combining technical knowledge with practical expertise, our Climate Change Advisory Panel will support the sector to build on these achievements and ensure we can meet the ambitious climate change targets that Scotland has set.”

There are 13 appointed members to the Climate Change Advisory Panel –

  • Martin Kennedy, NFUS vice president;
  • Angus Macfadyen, NFUS environment and land use committee chair;
  • Willie Thomson, NFUS combinable crops committee chair;
  • Claire Simonetta, NFUS member;
  • Freda Scott-Park, NFUS member;
  • David Smith, NFUS member;
  • David Reay, University of Edinburgh;
  • Sheila George, WWF Scotland;
  • David Michie, Soil Association Scotland;
  • Steven Thomson, SRUC;
  • Gemma Miller, SRUC;
  • Jonnie Hall, NFUS director of policy;
  • Ruth Taylor, NFUS climate change policy manager.