Harnessing Data and Technology: Building a Sustainable Future for Agriculture

By Emma Buckby, Quality Meat Scotland board member

When at various agricultural events, I often hear phrases such as, ‘I don’t do technology’, or ‘Surely collecting data is just data for data’s sake’. It always strikes me as a little odd, given we are surrounded by technology, whether computers in our cars and tractors telling us there is an issue or that we can optimise, to smart watches that encourage us to improve our metrics, to our mobile phones. Moreover, data is being collected in pretty much every interaction we have in society.

We are surrounded by technology and data and it can be extraordinarily helpful. Yet, how often do we really make the most of that information at the tip of our fingers? How much do we really utilise that data to learn, progress and get better at what we do?

The Scottish Government outlined its targets for sustainability, which still requires a reduction of agricultural emissions of around 30% by 2032. Therefore, increasingly companies are under pressure to baseline, track and then meet ambitious goals around governmental or SBTi targets. All of this requires data. However, what does that mean to the farmer, when governmental and corporate targets feel like a world away?

As farmers, we are in an extraordinarily privileged position. On farm we have the ability to store carbon, reduce emissions and prove success, something that would be hard for most people to evidence. And that is a really exciting proposition. Just look at the work John Gilliland and the ArcZero project has achieved.

So, what is the connection between farmer and corporate sustainability targets? Technology enables us to baseline, to understand where we are and then track improvements and proximity to Net Zero or to that 30% reduction from the Scottish Government. Without farmers producing this critical information, the rest of the supply chain will never be able to know – or claim – their proximity to these goals. Understanding traceability, the animal’s history, what it was treated with and why, how it was fed, how it was raised, is an integral part of this.

On farm, using technology to understand how your farm is operating is an essential part of becoming more sustainable. Yet this is not just about environmental sustainability. We know that animal welfare, land stewardship and increasing biodiversity, not only improve environmental outcomes for society, but are inextricably linked to productivity metrics and therefore profitability for the farm.

However, this collection and collation of data needs to happen in a way that is not dolorous, that is scalable and that allows farmers to be proprietors of their data. Yet it also allows the whole of the red meat industry demonstrate that it doesn’t need to be viewed as thorn in an environmentalist’s side, but that the farming industry really is the custodian of something very special. This data is the currency we need to paint a compelling and credible portrayal of the agricultural industry.

For me, it is a privilege to be part of the QMS board where all these facets are considered from both a scientific and a holistic point of view. Whether that be facilitating cross-industry expertise when considering animal welfare standards, trialling new strategies on monitor farms that can then become powerful case studies for the rest of the farming industry, working on genetics and so on. At the Royal Highland Show in 2022, a steering group comprising stakeholders across the supply chain launched the Beef Sector Strategy 2030 in which the vision is to reduce emissions by 75%, whilst increasing the prominence and economic value of the supply chain. That will create an immensely powerful narrative about the Scottish red meat industry in Scotland and really help to put the nation at the forefront of health and welfare. Afterall, the higher the health and welfare of an animal, the more environmentally friendly it is. This will only be possible through tracking of core metrics to evidence that. It is so exciting to be on the precipice of being able to track, tell and celebrate all the opportunity within the industry for the future.