Farming accounts for around 9 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, well in excess of its share of GDP. It produces three gases particularly damaging to the climate: nitrous oxide from fertilisers; methane from livestock and carbon dioxide from fuel for machinery such as combine harvesters.
56 per cent of the roughly 49m tonnes of CO2 equivalent emitted annually comes from methane. N20 accounts for a further 33 per cent and CO2 11 per cent.
In the midst of Brexit uncertainty, farmers consider that they are ill prepared to change their practices to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Building enclosed storage for manure to stop methane from escaping could be expensive. Changing cows' diet by adding different proteins and minerals to the feed may offer a better way forward. Arla Foods claim to have secured a 30 per cent reduction in methane emissions through this route.
There is clearly something of a policy vacuum which the new secretary of state could try to fill.
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