Agriculture is now the second largest producer of greenhouses gasses in Scotland – that's according to new statistics published by the Scottish Government this week.

The data showed that overall emissions targets set by the Scottish Government had been missed again, despite the fact that total emissions were 49.9% lower in 2021 than in 1990. The target was a reduction of 51.1%, prompting Lib Dem climate emergency spokesperson, Liam McArthur, to accuse the SNP government of being 'serial failures' when it came to meeting climate change targets.

In 2021, Scottish source emissions of seven greenhouse gases were estimated to be 41.6m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is 2.4% higher than the 2020 figure. The main contributors to this were emissions in domestic transport following the impact of the Covid lockdown in 2020 and residential sectors.

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Agriculture saw a 10.8% fall in emissions between 1990 and 2021, while between 2020 and 2021 it showed an increase of 1.9%.

Forestry and the related ‘harvested wood products’ categories were net 'sinks' of greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, but all other land use types were found to be net sources of greenhouse gas emissions, with crop lands, grassland, settlements and wetland, showing substantial net emissions to the atmosphere.

NFU Scotland’s climate policy manager, Kate Hopper, said: “As expected, the 2021 Scottish greenhouse gas figures show a bounce back in emissions from some sectors of our economy as we moved on post lockdown and Covid restrictions.

"However, for agriculture, the new figures also reveal significant changes in the methodology Scottish Government is using to calculate the emissions from food production in Scotland. Whilst this change has resulted in a modest rise in our emissions, we welcome changes which make the data more accurate.

"NFU Scotland has been calling for change to the way we measure emissions, including the use of GWP*. Without an accurate baseline, we cannot measure the progress which we are making.

Farmers and crofters are already playing their part in meeting the nation’s targets on greenhouse gas reductions. The pace of change will need to increase but many are already adapting their farm management practises to increase carbon sequestration, planting trees on farm, using new cropping techniques to increase soil health and to store more water, plus using methods which increase biodiversity.

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“For that momentum to continue, it is critical that farmers and crofters are able access the resources required to adapt their businesses practises. We need to be able to mitigate the risks posed by environment change so that we can continue to deliver high quality food and crops to support the Scottish economy.

“As the Scottish Government seeks to deliver a new agricultural policy for Scotland, NFUS is calling for future policy support to deliver investment in practical actions which can help farmers transition further.”

Oxfam said the Scottish Government has now missed four out of the last five targets, with emissions not falling fast enough to keep Scotland on track to deliver on its promise of being net zero by 2045.

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland described the news as “yet another reckless misstep”.

He said: “The Government’s climate rhetoric is alarmingly out of sync with the speed and level of action required.

“Ministers must now deliver the urgent and decisive new investment that’s needed to drive down Scotland’s emissions, including by making polluters pay for the damage they’ve caused.”