GM crops and new technologies to support ‘precision farming’ could both have a role to play in helping the UK cope with climate change, Environment Agency Chairman Lord Smith says in his speech to the NFU conference today.

Lord Smith tells farmers that climate change “will create new demands on land and environmental resources” and “could provide opportunities for novel crops and systems.”

Lord Smith says:

"We can already see wildlife following climate change - the mayfly is now found some 40 miles further north than before and warmer winters and wetter summers are thought to be a major factor in the rapid decline of pollinating insects with UK bee populations, in particular, falling by 10-15% over the last two years.

"The reliance on seasonal weather patterns means that farming will follow climate change too. My own personal view is that we probably need to be readier to explore GM options, coupled of course with proper environmental safeguards, in adapting to the changes that the climate will bring.

"The range of fodder crops, such as maize, will move northwards and longer grazing seasons are likely.

"New tools and technologies are becoming available, nano-technology for example, as well as the use of satellites, IT and other tools to support precision farming. We need to understand the environmental implications of novel approaches in order to embrace them and be clear how they will help us achieve long-term goals.

”We need to ensure that science is at the forefront of development and innovation and that effective knowledge transfer means farmers can adapt and innovate. Innovation has already seen British agriculture adapt to the economic challenges it has faced over the last 15 years or so and I know it will do so into the future.”

As well as exploring the potential of new crops and technologies, Lord Smith will underline the need for agriculture to become more water efficient as climate change ushers in longer, hotter, drier summers.     

Demand for irrigation water alone is predicted to rise by a quarter over the next decade as parts of central, southern and eastern England and eastern parts of Wales receive increasingly less rainfall. On-farm reservoirs and harvesting rainwater from building roofs are just two key ways farmers can gather water for use in drier times.

“In adapting to climate change, farming can also help us to manage water supply – this will be essential as we predict demand for irrigation will increase by 25% over the next 10 years,” Lord Smith will say.

“We will need to get better at storing water in winter to use in the summer. I am pleased to say that we have already been able to work with some groups of farmers, in East Anglia in particular, to help them form co-operative Abstractor Groups and to support the use of Regional Development Agency funding to provide more water storage for irrigation.

”Where it is the most effective way, we will always try to work with the farming community to identify solutions through advice and voluntary means. We both have the same aim: safe and profitable production to meet society’s needs from land that is in good heart, whilst enhancing the environment.”