The agriculture sector could become the UK’s largest contributor to climate change by the middle of the 2030s as decarbonisation efforts falter, an analysis has revealed.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) has found that government data for the sector shows that progress on emission reductions for farming and land use is significantly off target.

With the government pushing forward with efforts to decarbonise the UK’s energy supply by 2030, the ECIU finds that it is “likely” that agriculture and land use will leapfrog electricity generation this year to become the fourth biggest emitter.

Emissions from agricultural activity are primarily generated by methane from livestock digestion, nitrous oxide from fertiliser application, carbon dioxide from the use of fossil fuels in farm machinery and energy consumption for heating and electricity.

Additionally, emissions result from deforestation and peatland drainage for agricultural expansion, improper waste management and the production...