These included organisations from the energy, financial and water industries as well as agricultural and commodity specific organisations.
Tackling issues at the national, sectorial and local level
The focus of the events at Countryside COP varied greatly. Some events were locally focused with Doug Christie, Farm Carbon Toolkit’s Carbon Farmer of the Year, hosting a farm walk in Fife, whilst Yorkshire Water held evening discussions with their tenants.
Other events explored national challenges. The Met Office and ADAS delivered an engaging three-part online series exploring resilience in agricultural supply chains, targeting audiences from farmers to policy makers.
Within the energy sector, National Grid discussed how the national electricity transmission network would be reimagined in the journey towards net zero, whilst NFU energy looked at how farm businesses could increase their energy self-sufficiency through renewable sources.
More events focused on skills and practices that individuals could adopt, with several exploring the range of carbon calculator tools available and their potential usages on farms. The diversity in the breadth and scale of topics at Countryside COP generated engagement across the programme and led to active participation in many Q&A panels.
Many of the events held under Countryside COP3 are available to watch again at: CFE Online | Countryside COP3
In early 2024 the Agriculture & Land Use Alliance will meet to discuss the outcomes and learnings from Countryside COP3 and to plan activity for the coming year.
NFU representation at home and abroad
The NFU was actively involved in the event. NFU Energy’s event on renewable energy self-sufficiency on farms was well attended and Dr Ceris Jones, Senior Adviser for Climate Change, appeared alongside national livestock board member Mark Jelley at a Met Office and ADAS hosted event, where they discussed enhancing climate resilience on farms.
Ceris also represented the NFU at COP28 with Jenny Brunton, Senior European Policy adviser at the British Agriculture Bureau, to represent the interests of British agriculture and food production.
