The eagerly anticipated “Harmonization of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture” Defra paper has finally been released, offering much-needed clarity on acceptable carbon reporting standards.

In addition to outlining requirements to follow when conducting farm-level carbon assessments, the new report aims to increase the accuracy of the results produced by carbon computation tools.

The agriculture and food businesses appreciate Defra’s commitment to this comprehensive report since they have long sought clarity on carbon reporting. 81 worldwide carbon calculators were analyzed as part of the study, and the paper examined the six that were most pertinent to farming in the UK in depth.

The impact of the report, which establishes minimal criteria for carbon accounting systems, is something that Dr. Emily Pope, managing director of knowledge and cooperation at Trinity AgTech, is positive about.

“Farm-level carbon accounting is currently completely unregulated meaning there is significant divergence in calculation methodology and the resulting information; this is reducing trust, stalling decarbonization efforts, and preventing proper recognition and reward. One of the report’s key recommendations is to adopt tools that present reliable data, in line with ISO standards 14064:2 and 14067 and the draft GHG Protocol Land Sector and Removals guidance which is supportive of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). […] That’s why this report was so desperately needed, businesses need to understand which standards to align to and which software achieves these standards. The report identifies that there is only one calculator that aligns with the standards endorsed by Defra […] denoted as calculator E […]. If we can’t improve profitability for farmers, producing food while delivering environmental improvements becomes untenable,” Pope recently mentioned, according to a recent press release.

Certified Carbon Neutral Potatoes

Two years ago, Root Zero – Puffin Produce’s certified carbon neutral potatoes, grown using sustainable farming practices to remove carbon dioxide, to create healthy soil, and to increase local biodiversity – have been launched into 200 Co-op stores across the UK, with supermarket availability expected to be announced in the coming months.

Built on the results of the initial footprint assessment, Puffin Produce has set an objective to diminish the carbon intensity of Root Zero potatoes by 51% by 2030, covering emissions from across the entire supply chain, according to a Fruit Net article.

Additionally, the supplier has also committed through the Science-Based Target Initiative to a company-wide 1.5°C target to reduce its operational emissions by 46% by 2030.

In parallel, the provider is investing in carbon offset projects that it said will neutralize all currently unavoidable carbon emissions. The offset projects supported include reduction schemes that cut emissions as well as removal projects which absorb greenhouse gases.

Whilst the use of fertilizers contributes to the carbon footprint of potato production, this can be significantly reduced by careful choice of the type and source of fertilizer and by using the fertilizer more efficiently.

Researchers affiliated with ‘Our World in Data’ compared a total of 211 common and favorite foods consumed around the world in terms of which food production results in the most and least greenhouse gases. They say that the values presented in their so-called data explorer are the global median values across 38,700 commercially viable farms, in 119 countries. Out of the 211 foods, potatoes come out tops – with only 0.21 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents produced per kilo of produce.