15 June 2011

An in-depth annual survey of European farmers has indicated much greater interest and optimism for crops grown for renewable energy among German farmers, compared to their counterparts in the Great Britain.

The Kleffmann Group, partnered in the UK by Independent Business Resource Limited (IBR-Ltd), conducts crop specific farmer surveys collecting both quantitative and qualitative information related to crop inputs. The cereal survey in Germany based on 2,800 farmers and in Great Britain 1,000 farmers indicated that 73% of German farmers interviewed believed that they could get a secure income from renewable energy, compared to just 35% of farmers in England and 50% in Scotland.

The UK and Germany share the same goal as other EU countries of achieving 20% of energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. “The differences in confidence say a great deal about the progress of each country towards its goal and the extent to which renewables have been embraced in each country,” notes IBR Research Director David Dower.

“It is widely regarded that the UK will not make its target, despite the ambitious Scottish plans, while Germany has already exceeded 17% mainly through wind, hydro, solar and biogas digestion. The recent announcement to shift entirely away from nuclear by 2022 will surely give renewables in Germany fresh impetus. German farmers can work to an established incentive framework and see the potential for long term profit.”

“Meanwhile, in the UK we believe government needs to dramatically increase its spending on renewables to get near the target, and much of that will come from offshore wind, so by comparison to German farmers, our growers are still working through the theory. In Germany they had a head start on legislation that is now paying dividends – the government decisions on energy today will impact for years to come, so clarity and reliability are essential.”

The commitment to growing renewables is reflected in the total area grown of certain crops including oilseed rape and maize in each country.  In Germany the area of oilseed rape grown in 2010 is 1.49 million hectares and the area of maize 2.33 million hectares.

“Because of rotational restrictions, the area of rape grown in Germany may have peaked, but the maize crop will continue to grow. In Germany in 2011 the maize area is expected to be nearer to 2.45 million hectares, with 25% estimated to be used for bioenergy.  In the UK maize is mostly grown for silage for animal feed and so the area of maize is expected to remain stable. Similarly the UK oilseed rape area of 0.65 million hectares in 2011 is the highest are ever and is unlikely to increase any further due to agronomic restrictions,” adds Roger Pratchett, Director of IBR.