Defra ministers have come under fire for admitting that they made no effort to assess the impact of solar farms on food production before removing subsidy support for farmers.

image expired

The government did not even estimate how much arable land had been converted to solar production before the environment secretary announced measures to disincentivise "ugly" large-scale solar projects, claiming land use change was a "Real problem."

On announcing last week that Defra would cut CAP funding for fields occupied by solar panels, environment secretary Liz Truss claimed the decision had been taken to avoid conflicts with food production. Truss said, "It makes my heart sink to see row upon row of solar panels where once there was a field of wheat or grassland for livestock to graze."

However, renewable energy groups reacted with outrage to the Defra secretary's suggestions about large-scale clean energy generation. Leonie Greene of the Solar Trade Association said, "It is damaging and incorrect for Defra to suggest that solar farms are in conflict with food production."

Greene pointed out that the STA has worked with the NFU to produce good practice guidelines and added, "Land is still available for farming – the solar fixings only take up 5% of the land. This means plenty of room for continued agricultural practices such as sheep, geese or chicken farming. As far as farm payments are concerned, solar should really be treated in the same way as orchards or fields with trees, where animals continue to graze the land in between."

Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Paul Flynn on Monday, Farming minister George Eustice admitted, "We have made no estimate of the amount of land occupied by solar panels which was arable land useable for economically farmed fruits or vegetables."

Defra decision a "Politically motivated attack" on renewables

In her announcement last week, Truss said the solar decision had also been taken to prevent the "appearance" of the UK countryside from being "Blighted by solar farms." This led critics to accuse Defra of leading a "politically motivated attack." They countered that solar power enjoys widespread public support and has great potential for the future – it may become cheaper than gas within the next few years.

Some renewables advocates criticised Defra for failing to consult on the plan before announcing subsidy cuts, refusing to recognise that solar power generation and agriculture can operate in tandem, and neglecting to address other technologies driving land use change, such as growing energy crops.  

Agricultural finance experts have even suggested that the move is merely posturing on the part of the government; John Drew, of the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, told the Western Daily Press that "Alongside the revenue produced by an acre of solar panels [CAP subsidies are] barely even a drop in the bucket." Drew said changes being enacted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change will have more of an impact.

Green campaigners went further, suggesting that Defra's shifting stance on renewable technologies amounted to an attempt to win back rural voters wooed by UKIP. Friends of the Earth condemned the Defra secretary's solar announcement as a "Knee jerk response… to appease reactionary voices."