UK cattle farms assessed for carbon footprint
The assessments will be carried out by SAC Consulting and ADAS until March 2021, with results leading to mitigation measures and carbon action plans.
Dr Jonathon Foot, AHDB’s head of environment, said: “The assessments are essentially the gathering of information – to identify and quantify all activities or inputs on farm that come with a carbon footprint. This can be anything from diesel, electricity, feed and fertiliser and so on.
“Once this is established, we can then calculate the carbon to output ratio, i.e. how much carbon is being emitted per unit of output. This will then be assessed or benchmarked to determine where savings lie, and a bespoke plan created.”
He added that for livestock, growth rates are one of the biggest carbon savings.
After the first cohort, which includes 10 beef and lamb producers, more will be assessed under a new five-year AHDB strategy.
Photo by Andy Kelly on Unsplash
