The three major farm carbon calculators featured in the Defra Report Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture – SCF0129, have announced a collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), intended to harmonise the methodologies used in calculating the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture.
Farm Carbon Cutting Toolkit, Cool Farm Alliance Community Interest Company and Agrecalc Limited have reached an agreement to work together to support UK agriculture to measure GHG emissions using the most up-to-date and accurate tools possible, harmonising the methodologies and outputs of their carbon calculation tools.
The three companies are looking forward to their joint work on this major challenge, to fulfil the requirements outlined in the comprehensive report, compiled by ADAS throughout 2023. It is generally agreed that the overarching goal should be to reduce the overall greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture through resource efficiency improvements, optimising production practices and mitigating environmental impacts.
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Liz Bowles, Farm Carbon Toolkit CEO, said: “We are not seeking to reach a point where all three calculators will reduce the same answer for any given dataset. As the Defra report put it, ‘there is no single right answer’. Rather we are striving to make it possible for users to fully understand why different calculators produce different answers.
“We plan to align with the Science-Based Targets initiative Forestry Land and Agriculture Guidance (SBTi FLAG) and draft Greenhouse Gas Protocol Land Sector Removals Guidance (GHGp LSRG) through our collaborative actions. This commitment underscores our dedication to maintaining high-quality standards and ensuring environmental sustainability in our operations, and in calculation outputs.
“We are working to take the doubt out of the situation so farmers and growers can have greater confidence in starting to calculate their carbon footprint. By harmonising methodologies, we can understand the differences. In the long run, the results are likely to get closer as each calculator develops. Over time, we will look to set up a best practice guide which can offer greater assurances to the sector.”
Scott Davies, Agrecalc CEO, said: “It is intended that we agree on a common set of data sources which all three calculators will use. All calculators can go beyond these baseline requirements, and all parties to this MOU will retain their commercial independence. We will also involve the relevant government and other organisations’ teams with our work plan as we develop it."
Richard Profit, Cool Farm Alliance CEO, said: “We are looking forward to this collaboration, as it will help align methodologies where that makes sense and that will especially allow us to look into new areas that require attention. How we then incorporate the new information in our calculators will vary from calculator to calculator as a result of our different base approaches."
The calculators are seeking that this joint work become the agreed way and at some point, become a minimum required standard for all calculators to adopt. The companies will engage in consultations with Defra, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, and Northern Ireland Government to reach a practical and realistic form of ongoing validation of their harmonisation work.
Methodologies or other harmonisation solutions developed as a direct result of the MOU will be published transparently or will otherwise be made available for others to use.
Although this MOU currently only involves the three major companies in this space, the group is open to other calculators joining the coalition so long as they publicly provide transparency in their Calculator methodologies.
On a practical level, the three carbon calculators are looking to improve areas such as accounting for bought-in dairy cattle, which currently are not accurately accounted for. Additionally, they will be accrediting different claims by companies making inputs such as fertiliser. If a fertiliser company claims their product has lower emissions, then a rigorous scientific report needs to be produced.
Only then will the product’s lower emissions be accepted by the calculator. This is designed to increase the integrity of carbon emission data in the UK.
The three companies are all UK-owned. Agrecalc was previously owned by SRUC but went through a management buyout, with further investment being sought.
Farm Carbon Toolkit is a community interest company, as is Cool Farm Alliance.
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