Aidan Harrison disagrees with George Monbiot’s assessment of farming’s contribution to global warming
As a retired upland livestock farmer, I take issue with George Monbiot’s article (Only a tiny minority of rural Britons are farmers – so why do they hold such sway?, 20 June). The 115,000 people who work in agriculture deserve respect, not abuse.
Yes, UK woodland retains 25 tonnes more carbon per hectare than pasture, but Monbiot evades the fact that, at an average 350 tonnes including trees, this is only 7%-8% more than the average 325 tonnes per hectare of grazed pasture.
