Ed Miliband’s ‘solar farm madness’ torn apart as Net Zero drive puts food security at risk

Ed Miliband has been told to do a “180-degree reversal” and scrap Labour’s plan to build the UK’s largest solar farm on “very productive” Norfolk farmland as fears about the UK’s food security mount. The plan to convert 4000 acres of countryside in Dereham and Swaffham into the High Grove Solar Farm has been branded “madness” by the local MP George Freeman.

“We should not be paying farmers to switch from farming crops to farming solar panels”, the member for Mid Norfolk told Daily Express. “The solar panels should be going on every new building, road & car park and our farmers growing more food. It’s time to stop this solar farm madness now”, he added.

The High Grove Solar Farm is currently at the statutory consultation stage, before a Development Consent Order is submitted in August. RWE, the German firm set to deliver to project, claims the solar farm could deliver 720MW of power, the equivalent amount of energy to power 363,000 homes a year.

However, Mr Freeman, who is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Science & Technology in Agriculture, warns that given the geopolitical instability caused by the war in , the UK must utilise its agricultural land to secure its food supply.

“Rather than paying farmers to produce less food, and introducing misguided policies like the farm tax that could force family farms out of business, [and] force the sale of land for housing or solar farms (…) instead we urgently need to be prioritising UK food production for our food security, affordability, and to reduce massively wasteful food miles & emissions.”

He continued: “The UK is a global powerhouse in agricultural science & technology and this could be a major industry. The war in and the risk to global food supply chains makes this even more urgent.

“That’s why we need a 180-degree reversal of policy to encourage UK farmers to grow more food here in the UK, reduce our reliance on food imports and grow our world-class agricultural industry.”

National Farmers Union President Tom Bradshaw said that solar farms can be attractive for traditional farmers, but they mustn’t be built on high-value farmland.

“Solar farms can offer an attractive diversification income opportunity for farmers, although we are mindful of the potential impacts on tenant farmers. Striking the right balance between food security and climate ambitions is essential”, he said.

“National planning guidance and NFU policy both express a preference for large scale solar farm development to be located as far as possible on lower quality agricultural land, avoiding the most productive and versatile soils. Utilising farm building roofs and canopies for solar should also be incentivised as this delivers a sustainable method of energy production while avoiding any land-use conflict”, he added.

A Government spokesperson said: “Solar is at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and our plans to boost solar power do not risk the UK’s food security.

“Even in the most ambitious scenarios, solar would still occupy less than 1% of the UK’s agricultural land – less than occupied by golf courses – while bringing huge benefits for the British public and our energy security. It is important we take people with us and are considering ways to ensure communities who live near new clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this.”