ASHEEP & BEEF has developed a toolkit to walk sheep and cattle producers through the process of completing their first emissions profile for the farm (also known as a carbon account or a carbon baseline).
The toolkit has come about from learnings in our “Carbon Neutral 2030: Getting Started on Farm” MLA Producer Demonstration Site project.
We have 14 farms in the project that have now done up an emissions profile and the feedback we’re getting from them is that it is a worthwhile exercise to know where the farms sits.
These farmers are finding it takes about 2 hours to complete an emissions profile.
What is an emissions profile and why do I need one?
An emissions profile is a calculation of your net farm emissions at a point in time. It is generated by using a carbon accounting tool. There are many reasons why producers might need to measure greenhouse gases and reduce emissions. An important one is because, in time, you may need a net farm emissions number (total emissions) or an emissions intensity figure (emissions per kg of product) to access a market. This could come from a buyer that you’re hoping to sell your cattle or sheep to or from a processor wanting to market a net zero product.
Why do one now?
Creating an emissions profile does not take long and you don't have to share it with anyone. It gives you an indication of where your farm sits, which is important information to better understand what new government policies, industry targets, or market access requirements mean for your farm. It also gives you a starting point if you want to reduce the farm's emissions footprint.
What information do I need?
The information needed should be available from your farm taxation records, management records, or your memory.
Download the toolkit here:
