While the Committee on Climate Change has noted the slowing of improvements in efficiency of inorganic fertiliser use, AIC and its partners responsible for the Greenhouse Gas Action Plan point out the need for better data on which to base such comments.

The Committee’s comment is contained in its 2014 report to Parliament and also states that it is not convinced that livestock emissions per unit of output are strong enough.

“The GHGAP partners have been lobbying for a long time for improved data that reflect what happens in practice,” says Jane Salter, AIC’s Head of Environment Policy. “National statistics just don’t reflect the reality of what happens in practice on a farm by farm and field by field basis.

“Our hope is that the £10 million investment of Agri-tech Strategy funds in an Informatics Centre will provide a robust means to show how the industry is performing on quantifiable targets. We do not underestimate the challenge given the complexity of land management and the variability across the country.”