Emissions
Published 11 June 2026
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2026
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farm-practices-survey-february-2026/emissions
Farmers were asked about the importance they place on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when making decisions about their farms. Questions also focused on the actions that farmers are currently taking to reduce emissions and their motivations for doing so. In contrast, we also look at the reasons that prevent farmers from taking action.
In 2026, 54% of farms considered GHGs to be fairly or very important when making decisions about their land, crops and livestock (Figure 1).
Figure 1 Importance placed on GHGs by farmers when taking decisions about their land, crops and livestock (Proportion of holdings)
| Year | Very important | Fairly important | Not very important | Not at all important | My farm does not produce GHGs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 17% | 47% | 22% | 7% | 7% | 100% |
| 2023 | 17% | 45% | 24% | 9% | 6% | 100% |
| 2024 | 14% | 44% | 28% | 11% | 3% | 100% |
| 2025 | 13% | 42% | 29% | 11% | 5% | 100% |
| 2026 | 11% | 43% | 31% | 10% | 4% | 100% |
Notes:
- The sum of the components may not equal 100% due to rounding.
In 2026 around 37% of farms believe that reducing GHG emissions from the farm will contribute to the overall profitability of the farm. Despite this, 47% of farms were actively implementing measures to lower their emissions.
For those farms taking action to reduce GHG emissions, the two most popular actions in 2026 were “recycling waste materials from the farm” and “improving energy efficiency” (Figure 2). Over the longer term, the greatest change has been an increase in efficiency in manure and/or slurry management and application, rising from 28% in 2013, when the question was first asked to 45% in 2026.
Farms were asked about their use of methane suppressing feed products, with 2% of farms reporting regularly feeding these products to livestock.
Figure 2 Actions being taken to reduce GHG emissions from farms (Proportion of holdings)
| Response | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Recycling waste materials from the farm | 75% |
| Improving energy efficiency | 69% |
| Reducing tillage/no tillage | 68% |
| Improving nitrogen fertiliser application accuracy | 59% |
| Increasing use of clover in grassland | 52% |
| Improving efficiency in manure/slurry management & application | 45% |
| Increasing use of legumes in arable crop rotation | 28% |
| Improving nitrogen feed efficiency | 26% |
| Using precision farming techniques | 25% |
| Taking other actions | 16% |
| Regularly using methane suppressing feed products | 2% |
For those holdings taking action to reduce GHG emissions, the primary motivations were “considering it good business practice” and “concern for the environment”, selected by 83% and 61% of holdings respectively (Figure 3). These have remained the leading motivations since the questions were first asked in 2013.
Figure 3 Main motivations for those taking action to reduce GHG emissions (Proportion of holdings)
| Response | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Consider it good business practice | 83% |
| Concern for the environment | 61% |
| To improve profitability | 45% |
| Regulation | 26% |
| To meet market demands | 16% |
| Other motivation | 6% |
For those holdings not taking action to reduce GHG emissions from the farm, the reasons for not doing so varied (Figure 4). The most common reason, selected by 39% of farmers, was uncertainty about what action to take due to conflicting views on the issue. The next most common reasons were the belief that it is not necessary as their farm does not produce many emissions (28%) and a lack of incentive (27%).
Figure 4 Reasons preventing farmers taking action to reduce GHG emission for those not currently doing so (Proportion of holdings)
| Response | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Unsure what to do - too many conflicting views on the issue | 39% |
| Not necessary - don’t believe farm produces many emissions | 28% |
| Lack of incentive | 27% |
| Lack of information | 24% |
| Too expensive | 19% |
| Don’t believe farmers can do much | 16% |
| Already done all they can | 10% |
| Other reasons | 8% |