Warwickshire’s agricultural industry must help with the global fight against climate change according to a national expert

Warwickshire’s agricultural industry can help with the global fight against climate change according to a national expert.

That was the message heard by the region’s farming leaders at the annual Wright Hassall Agricultural Conference.

Over 80 attendees were advised by top agricultural experts in Warwickshire on what they can do to combat climate change at the 16^th annual conference, held at the Wellesbourne Campus for the University of Warwick.

Keynote speakers included Tom Hind, Chief Strategy Officer of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Al Brooks, Estate Director of Faccombe Estate in Wiltshire and David Canty, Estate Manager at Longford Estates.

Dr Dave Chandler, Associate Professor in the school for Life Sciences at the University of Warwick opened proceedings by outlining the extent of the climate crisis, and the work that Warwickshire’s farms can do to help minimise the impact.

He said: “We need to be aware of Warwickshire’s context in the wider agenda to fight climate change and take drastic action.

“Globally, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from significantly by 2030 and currently, these rates are increasing rather than decreasing.

“Warwickshire is a microcosm of what is going on in the wider world of agriculture so we have no other option than to be passionate about creating new solutions to the problem, and coming together to tackle this as a collective.”

The event was the final one for Wright Hassall’s Senior Partner and Head of Agriculture, Paul Rice, after 15 years at the firm.

Paul Rice said: “Over the last 15 years the industry has seen rapid changes in the technology available to help farmers work smarter and in a more environmentally-sensitive way.  As we enter a period of economic and climatic uncertainty for UK farming, these developments are more important than ever.

“The agriculture industry is worth more than £138 million to the regional economy with over 6,000 workers contributing to the sector, and Warwickshire is home to one of the world’s leading agri-science research facilities, so we’re in pole position to play a key role in the wider context of farming developments to fight climate change in the UK.

“This year’s annual Conference was a huge success with some of our largest attendance figures to date and three important perspectives from our keynote speakers.”

Wright Hassall is a UK leader in the agricultural sector, with over 170 years history of advising farmers, landowners, rural businesses and farming-related organisations on all their legal matters.

For more information on upcoming events, contact events@wrighthassall.co.uk