'Why solar grazing should be taken seriously' Reader's letter
Julian Briggs on the benefits of solar grazing...
Sheffield people have always had a clear sense of what matters: the community, the neighbourhood, a fair deal for working families. That practical outlook is exactly what makes solar grazing worth paying attention to.
It works like this: livestock graze beneath solar panels on farmland, sharing the same land for two productive purposes.
British farms are already doing this with sheep, and new trials are showing it works with cattle too.
Animals are healthier, need less water and grow better. The soil improves. And the farmer earns additional income.
When farms in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire stay viable, food supply chains stay local, rural jobs stay local, and the communities around them stay alive.
The steel city has always understood that a job - and the income it brings - is what keeps a family standing and a community going. Farming families are no different.
The government should be sorting out the planning rules so farmers who want to try solar grazing aren't blocked. It's a practical solution. Sheffield people tend to prefer those