UK farmers group endorses hemp products to reduce global warming

Hemp-derived construction components could help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and should be promoted by the government, according to a new report from an English farmers association.

The National Farming Union, a group of about 50,000 farmers in England and Wales, touted hemp construction in a plan detailing ways to get England’s and Wales’ farming industries to reach zero net greenhouse emissions by 2040. Agriculture worldwide is a major contributor to greenhouse-gas emissions.

Agriculture is thought to contribute about 10% of the U.K.’s greenhouse-gas emissions – including carbon dioxide, nitrous dioxide and methane.

The National Farming Union report urges the U.K.’s Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support “novel building and insulation materials like hemp fibre and sheep’s wool” to reduce overall emissions. The report does not say how that support should be achieved.