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Carbon Footprinting - unique benefits for farmers

Mon 24 Feb 2025

As we are aware, there is increasing pressure from the government, supply chain and consumers to reduce emissions and slow the impact of climate change that we are experiencing. All areas of the agricultural industry emit greenhouse gases in the form of methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. These emissions could come from livestock, machinery use, fertiliser and soil. However, it is also one of the only industries which has the potential to sequester carbon in the soil, woodland and other vegetation.

Farmers' ability to sequester carbon puts them in a strong position to reach net zero carbon and also to access additional funding streams.

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint identifies the quantity and source of greenhouse gases, along with the carbon sequestered. Results will report the carbon balance for the farm business, usually expressed in either kg or tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), acting as a uniform metric and allowing comparison between businesses and industries.

Why work out the carbon footprint for your farm?

  • The vital first step to be able to quantify your businesses contribution to climate change. Identifying the sources of specific emissions.
  • It can be a tool to increase resilience and efficiency within the farm business and identify losses from the business. It can be another tool for businesses to make management decisions and improve business profitability.
  • Allowing access to private funding streams in the future as baseline data has been collected.
  • Getting ahead of potential payment alterations created by pressure from the supply chain. The food supply chain is increasingly interested in on-farm emissions when they are looking at their Scope 3 emissions from their suppliers.
  • Opportunity to understand your farm’s current carbon assets.
  • Enable your products and services to be more attractive to increasing numbers of environmentally conscious consumers.

How to establish your carbon footprint

Completing a carbon footprint now will provide a comprehensive snapshot for the business. Reviewing this annually will allow your farm business to understand any changes that are occurring on an annual basis.

At Masons, we can support you by completing and understanding your carbon footprint with you. Our Agri Business Advisor, Abi Saunders, is on hand to walk you through the process with access to Farm Carbon Calculator and Agrecalc. If you would like support with any of these elements, please don't hesitate to get in touch with Abi on 07930 592030, or email [email protected].