Climate Change Bill [HL]

I entirely agree with those remarks and declare an interest as a farmer. My particular interest is to get the land management sector to understand what a pivotal role it can and should play, not only in reducing carbon emissions, but in improving carbon sequestration. I am in the middle of conducting an exercise to determine how, in the next five years, we can reposition ourselves as a carbon-neutral producer of apples. It is a complicated concept, because so much carbon is used in refrigeration, as well as transport and marketing. It is possible, and it is an exercise that we are in the middle of exploring, but it will be possible only if we can do it as part of a sectoral target. No doubt there will have to be market incentives, and perhaps others, to encourage farmers and land managers to adopt practices for which they have not seen a need before. I like this amendment because it allows the climate change committee to set challenging targets. It allows policy makers to determine how best these can be delivered. They will not all be delivered by altruism—we are clear about that. There have to be incentives, and a market force. I have to say, as a fruit grower and dairy farmer, that much of the pressure is coming from our customers, the multiple retail outlets, which are extremely keen to be associated with an apple grower such as myself, who is seen to be taking the trouble to try to produce carbon-neutral apples. If this modest amendment helps everyone to get their act together, it should be commended.