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Bord Bia begins carbon footprinting sheep farms

Irish sheep farms will be calculated for their carbon footprint for the first time by Bord Bia.

The Lamb Carbon Footprint will be worked out using data provided by farmers in a newly developed sustainability survey. 

Farmers will be asked to complete the survey before their audit and the carbon footprint will be assessed as a kilo of CO2 – equivalent per kilo of live weight lamb.

A small number of farms will be piloted before it becomes a requirement for all sheep farmers undergoing a Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) audit this year. 

Director of Origin Green & Sustainable Assurance, Deirdre Ryan said: “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.

“This is necessary to future-proof the sheep sector by enhancing its marketability, sustainability and global reputation.”

Ms Ryan said the unique national infrastructure, through the Sustainable Assurance Schemes, already allows Bord Bia to access and quantify the environmental performance of Irish beef and dairy farms at scale.

Nearly 300,000 Irish beef and dairy farms have had their carbon footprint calculated by Bord Bia since 2011.

LSL News.

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