ADBA News ADBA joins the PARTIES Since our last issue, we have been busy promoting AD at the conferences of the two main political parties. Our Chief Executive, Charlotte Morton, attended the Labour Conference in Brighton, where we co-sponsored an evening reception in partnership with SERA (the Labour Environment Campaign) and Sustainability Hub that was attended by Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey. Meanwhile, our External Affairs Manager, Jon Harrison, represented ADBA at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, attending a breakfast meeting at which Environment Secretary Michael Gove spoke about the importance of soil productivity and conservation as the government looks to help farmers improve their output post-Brexit. With the vital role that digestate can play in soil health, this is an angle that we will be following up with the Secretary of State in the weeks to come. Jon also joined Sustainability Hub for an evening reception at the Conservative Conference at which BEIS Secretary Greg Clark outlined the government’s plans for reducing emissions through its Clean Growth Strategy, Industrial Strategy, and 25-Year Plan for Nature (due out by Christmas – watch this space). See Waste in Westminster on p27 for the full report, or for more information on our parliamentary engagement contact jon.harrison@adbioresources.org
Supporting the Welsh AD industry to raise standards In late September our Market Analyst, Emiliano Lewis, attended a meeting with key industry stakeholders on how to combat the bad PR experienced by the AD industry in Wales following a few significant pollution incidents, and how to prevent these incidents reoccurring. Entitled ‘AD Intervention Strategy’ and run by Severn Wye Energy Agency, the meeting was attended by representatives from Natural Resources Wales, the Welsh Government, and the AD industry. The group discussed the importance of helping farmers to better understand whether an installer is operating to required standards, whether it is suitably qualified, and whether it can deliver a good plant. It was agreed that more could be done to share lessons learnt when things do go wrong to allow others to prevent the same issues from happening at their plants.
Keeping biomethane on the government’s agenda In October we attended a meeting of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (CVP) Fuels Working Group, which includes representation from the Department for Transport (DfT) and many others working in the low carbon fuels sector (including a number of ADBA members). One particular positive from the meeting for biomethane was recognition from DfT that gas is currently the only option for decarbonising heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the short to medium term, particularly whilst the prospects for electrification of HGVs remain so distant. Another key takeaway point was that government has still not decided whether it wants to use biomethane for heat or transport. The Committee on Climate Change has previously suggested that biomethane should be used in the gas grid, but what’s needed from government is a whole systems, cross-sector analysis of the energy system (including energy required for transport) and meaningful collaboration between BEIS and DfT to establish where biomethane can best be used in the energy system. This would then give the AD industry clearer direction on where to prioritise its efforts. In the meantime, we will continue to promote the benefits of biomethane for both heat and transport pending firmer strategic direction from government. For more information on our transport work contact emiliano.lewis@adbioresources.org ADBA’s Best Practice Scheme (BPS) and related guidance will provide an effective support mechanism and additional motivation for operators in Wales to ensure they minimise the risks arising from their activities, and we are pleased to have received input from Natural Resources Wales in delivering the scheme. All BPS documents and guidance are available free of charge from our website (http://bit.ly/2fpwOE5), and you can find out more about the scheme on p7.
Get involved It’s excellent to see the key organisations in Wales working together to tackle the difficulties faced by AD operators. We will keep ADBA members updated with any opportunities to be involved in this work and would be particularly interested to engage with any on-farm AD operators in Wales. To get in touch or find out more contact jessica.allan@adbioresources.org
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winter 2017 | AD & Bioresources News
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