A new alliance representing Northern Irish farmers and the agri-food industry is calling for 'appropriate solutions' in cutting the sector's carbon emissions.
The Northern Ireland Carbon Steering Group says it wants the farming industry to be better heard as the industry moves toward its net zero targets.
The group, consisting of the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) among others, says that agriculture has a key part to play in NI reaching net zero carbon emissions.
However, the new alliance says it wants to "mould an approach that will be farmer friendly" while providing the basis for measuring and managing emissions.
Legal obligations and targets have been set and the group says it will "deliver opportunities that will advance local agriculture sustainably".
Under the NI Climate Change Act 2022, targets have been set which the farming industry is required to meet.
To align with this, Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture (DAERA) will publish its first Climate Action Plan in December 2023 requiring significant reduction in emissions.
George Mullan, member of the Carbon Steering Group said: "We have come together to act on behalf of our farmers and agri-food industry to ensure we achieve consistency in the direction of travel.
“We want to ensure that appropriate solutions are provided to measure carbon emissions and identify innovative ways to reduce emissions.
"As a group, we’ve been able to lead from the front to develop a market strategy and support farmers to intercept potential livestock reductions.
“Reducing carbon emissions is becoming a requirement for our customers, not only in the UK, but also in export markets.
"It has presented us with an opportunity to find a workable system that can deliver the information required and enable the NI agri-food sector to remain competitive.”
The steering group is working in partnership with DAERA to create a programme which will help farms understand where they are on the carbon journey.
As part of this, the alliance intends to test the concept of whole farm data collection with 100 farms in the next few weeks.
Information required to test this concept will be collected following a NI Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS) inspection and during the same farm visit.
David Brown, chair of the NI Carbon Steering Group, explained more: “We need to ensure that we develop a programme with the farmer in mind at all times.
"It needs to be workable for them, ensuring an accurate and efficient process that causes minimal disruption to the farm business.
"The delivery of information is a key element to ensure its suitable for all parties and supports appropriate carbon reduction strategies while protecting farmers’ data.”
The NI Carbon Steering Group includes representatives from other groups such as the Livestock and Meat Commission and Dairy Council for Northern Ireland.
