A joined-up approach is needed for more growers and livestock producers to embrace carbon-friendly farming, says a report. A raft of different carbon assessment tools with different standards means the system is too confusing to help most farmers make the leap, suggests the latest analysis from the UK Agri-Tech Centre. With multiple carbon tools available, inconsistent standards and rising pressure from buyers and banks to prove progress, the report calls for collaboration across the supply chain.
Benefits
Farmers stand to gain from this, the report says – not just through access to green finance and carbon markets, but by driving input efficiency and business resilience.
“A coordinated approach is needed across policy, practice, standardisation, financial support and innovation,” it says. “Transparency around methods, boundaries, functional units and allocation methods can support efforts to address this gap.”
Processors, retailers and lenders are already demanding consistent emissions data, says the study. Farms that provide it will find themselves better placed to secure contracts, credit and future market access.
The survey of 29 agrifood organisations shows that over half now require some form of carbon assessment from suppliers. Yet cost, confusion and data reliability remain stubborn barriers.
Uncertain standards
Farmers and advisers reported a patchwork of carbon tools with competing methodologies – leading to assessment fatigue and uncertainty about which standard they should follow. To fix this, the Agri-Tech Centre is urging policymakers, tool developers and supply chain leaders to agree on shared frameworks – harmonising and standardising carbon assessment tools.
“The need to support farmers and growers to adapt production practices that reduce emissions is paramount,” says the report. Without it, carbon accounting risks becoming a tick-box exercise rather than a driver of on-farm change.
For producers, the opportunities are clear. Verified carbon baselines can open the door to sustainability-linked loans, environmental land management payments and emerging carbon credit schemes.
Affordability
But to reach that stage, the report says farmers need affordable tools, training and trusted advisers who can translate data into action. It also calls for digital platforms that make data collection easier across mixed enterprises.
Government-backed grants could help cover assessment costs. The challenge now is coordination. A joined-up carbon assessment framework could make the process simpler, fairer and more rewarding for farmers.