Bord Bia is set to begin carbon footprinting quality assured Irish sheep farms for the first time, the Irish Food Board has confirmed.
The ‘Lamb Carbon Footprint’ will be calculated using data provided by farmers through a newly developed sustainability survey, which farmers will be requested to complete prior to their audit.
The survey is being piloted on a small number of farms in the coming weeks before it becomes a requirement for all sheep farmers undergoing a Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) audit later this year.
Farmers will be asked to complete the survey prior to their audit, however, the requirements of the audit will not change.
The carbon footprint will be calculated as a kilo of CO2-equivalent per kilo of live weight lamb. Bord Bia already calculates the carbon footprint of Quality Assured beef and dairy farms, with over 285,000 carbon assessments conducted on Irish beef and dairy farms since 2011.
Deirdre Ryan director of Origin Green and sustainable assurance said: “Our unique national infrastructure, through the sustainable assurance schemes, allows Bord Bia to access and quantify the environmental performance of Irish beef and dairy farms at scale.
“We can now capture carbon emission data on approximately 12,000 quality assured sheep farms, adding further proof points to the sustainability story of Irish farming in our export markets.”
In tandem with carbon assessments commencing on member farms, Bord Bia aims to increase membership of the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme among Irish sheep farmers.
“While sheep farmer participation in the scheme increased marginally last year, our long-term goal is to raise participation in line with other sectors such as dairy and beef.
“This is necessary to future-proof the sheep sector by enhancing is marketability, sustainability, and global reputation. We welcome new members all year round and the scheme is evolving to provide more guidance to farmers in relation to sustainability,” Ms Ryan said.
Sustainability Survey
Bord Bia says the survey is similar to the sustainability survey completed by beef and dairy farms, but is “tailored” for sheep enterprises.
The survey will take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete and can be done online, or over the phone. Alternatively, farmers can complete a paper form and return by post.
The survey comprises over two pages and is divided into eight parts including: enterprise information; housing; production; animal numbers; fertiliser; silage and purchased forage; and feed, asking the farmer to provide the average quantity of compound ration and/or straights fed to their flock, based upon kg per animal per day.
Meanwhile, Bord Bia says the sustainability survey completed by beef and dairy farmers “is set for a revamp” based upon feedback from members.
It says additional options will be included for fertiliser usage such as urea and NBPT (urease inhibitor) for farmers applying protected urea; and that “the overall ease-of-use of the survey has also been improved”.
(Source – Irish Independent – Indo farming – Independent Farming Team – 03/06/2021)