Comment: Some Inside Knowledge

I escaped to London this week for a couple of days to the annual Agricultural Engineers Association conference at One Great George Street, Westminster. A lovely sunny spring morning and a wander across Horseguards Parade and up St James’ Park set me up for a fascinating day.

Speaker Simon Jack, the BBC’s business editor, observed that Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency is quoted as saying that ‘ we are in the largest energy security threat in history’ and yet the international markets have never been higher, and that those two statements are at odds with each other. One of them must be wrong. For more on the IEA’s position see here.

Another great take home was from AHDB’s chair Emily Norton, she commented that ‘the best way to hit Net Zero, is to stop growing food’. Quite. In fact, we have built a food system designed for efficiency, ie cheap plentiful food, with the assumption that the system is resilient. Of course with an energy shock, rapid uplift in fuel and fertiliser prices, and perhaps scarcities of the same, we have to focus on reliable, resilient food systems, not the cheapest.

The AEA is to be congratulated on assembling such a strong, relevant and diverse range of speakers, we all enjoyed the day.

Back home, one ewe is steadfastly not lambing and the cattle have gone out, it must be spring. Must find the vari-spreader.

Have a good week.

Andy