Global climate change report highlights importance of supporting food production in the UK, says NSA
1st April 2014
While in the UK we appear to be basking in the luxury of debating re-wilding and de-stocking of our hills and uplands, the most recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report this week on climate change has taken a significant change of tack with a strong recognition of the risks of climate change to food production and human security, says the National Sheep Association (NSA).
Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: “The panel has concluded that globally climate change is already having real effects with heat waves, wildfires, heavy rain and mega-disasters. The warning signs about climate change have been accumulating over time but this is the first time the IPCC has drawn a clear line connecting climate change to food scarcity and conflict, with Chairman Rajendra Pachauri saying the world has to ‘adapt and mitigate’ to avoid disaster.
“Here in the UK we don’t need much reminding of the volatile weather we have experienced over recent years – most recently with devastating flooding and rainfall for most of the winter. This IPCC report means we have the evidence needed to ensure our hills and uplands maintain their capability to contribute to food security. This means keeping the people with the knowledge and experience in place and giving them the incentives to step up their productivity and play their part in optimising land use.
“Who knows what will happen over future decades and how extreme some of these changes in weather may be, but it seems to me that if we lose some of the productivity of our lowlands due to flooding, and that drought becomes another serious limiting factor, then our uplands with their higher rainfall pattern will be crucial to us for food security. It doesn’t have to be either food production or the environment – we have to achieve the optimum balance of the two on all our land.”
Notes to editors:-
- For further information and high resolution pictures please contact Joanne Briggs, NSA Communications Manager, on 07807 237982 or joanne@nationalsheep.org.uk.
- The National Sheep Association is an organisation that represents the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK. It is funded by its membership of sheep farmers and its activities involve it in every aspect of the sheep industry. More at www.nationalsheep.org.uk and www.nsanextgeneration.org.uk.
