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Farming Today: 05/11/21 Methane and net zero; Scottish susbsidy system; Carbon auditing; COP26

05/11/21 Methane and net zero; Scottish susbsidy system; Carbon auditing; COP26

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, 05/11/21 Methane and net zero; Scottish susbsidy system; Carbon auditing; COP26

Reducing methane; New Scottish subsidy system; Carbon audits; COP26.

Measuring methane, new farm payments that will replace CAP in Scotland, carbon audits, the people who carry them out and the farmers who commission them. A snapshot of COP26.

The professor who heads the Oxford Net Zero Initiative says farmers should be credited for reducing methane emissions. Professor Myles Allen believes the industry won't have to reduce livestock numbers to meet the global pledge to cut methane levels by 30% by 2030. He wants the government to measure methane levels separately, not as part of a carbon footprint calculation. 

Farmers who want to sign up for future grant schemes may be compelled to do a carbon audit of their farms. These audits will form part of new plans for the farm payments which are to replace CAP in Scotland. The Scottish government has announced a £51 million pound fund for the transition, starting in 2025. Mari Gougeon, minister for rural affairs and islands, describes how the new system is being designed. Some money will still be paid direct to farmers based on how much land they have, the rest will be linked to environmental improvements. 

Also, we look at how carbon audits work. We speak to someone who carries them out and a farmer who's been doing them on his land for five years.

How is farming seen by delegates at COP 26 in Glasgow? We catch up with programme maker Tom Heap who's covering the climate-change conference.

Presenter = Charlotte Smith
Producer = Rebecca Rooney

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05/11/21 Methane and net zero; Scottish susbsidy system; Carbon auditing; COP26

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