Carbon markets: What’s new in 2025?

A new era for UK Farmers

Farming in the UK is changing. After years of unpredictable weather, volatile markets, and shifting policies, many farmers are searching for ways to build resilience and secure their businesses for the future.

One of the most promising opportunities lies in the rise of carbon markets – a new way to turn good stewardship of the land into a reliable income stream.

What are carbon markets?

Carbon markets are systems where the environmental benefits created by farmers, like storing carbon in soil or reducing carbon emissions, can be measured, verified, and sold as credits or units.

These credits are then purchased by companies and organisations looking to meet their own environmental goals, such as achieving net zero emissions or restoring nature.

For UK farmers, carbon markets offer a practical route to get paid for the positive impact you’re making on the land.

The most established of these markets today is the soil carbon market, but opportunities are rapidly expanding to include biodiversity, water, and other ecosystem services.

© Agreena

What’s different about carbon markets in 2025?

Soil carbon is taken seriously

In January this year, the world-leading carbon standard, Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard, registered the AgreenaCarbon Project.

Agreena is the first large-scale soil carbon project to achieve registration under Verra. Agreena’s soil carbon credits now have the status required for buyers to purchase with confidence.

Demand is growing

Carbon markets are evolving and the timelines aren’t always what farmers (or Agreena) would want. But another harvest year of payments for Agreena farmers is on the horizon.

We’ve secured buyers such as LDC and Radisson Hotel Group, whose funding will flow to farmers once Verra credits are issued later this year.

Scale of farmer community

The number of farmers taking part in soil carbon programmes has grown significantly over the past year.

Agreena alone partners with farmers across 4.5m hectares of farmland across Europe and is the largest soil carbon programme in Europe.

Technology has advanced

Companies like Agreena combine ground truth data with remote sensing technology.

For the past three years, Agreena has operated one of Europe’s largest soil sampling programmes and has pioneered the ability to remote sense farming practices and crop types across entire countries at an individual field level.

Can’t afford to fail

With policy shocks, extreme weather and falling commodity prices in 2025, securing an additional income stream from carbon markets is even more critical.

Real-world example: Thomas Gent and Agreena

Thomas Gent © Agreena

Thomas Gent, a UK farmer and Regen Ag Lead at Agreena, has seen the benefits of carbon markets first-hand.

“Healthy soils are the basis of a strong and profitable farming business. Finding additional income streams that support this is essential. I believe carbon markets can and will form part of this,” he says.

Through Agreena’s programme:

1. You adopt regenerative practices on your farm
2. Agreena measures, verifies and packages that climate impact for corporates, using world-leading standards like Verra
3. Agreena markets your carbon credits or emissions data to climate-committed buyers looking to support UK farmers
4. When buyers are found and credits are issued, the value begins the flow, providing much needed finance back to farmers

Common concerns

Is it worth the effort?

Carbon markets are still developing, and prices can fluctuate. However, with increasing demand from companies the opportunity is growing. Early adopters have seen real payouts, with Agreena paying up to £32 per credit.

How do I know it’s credible?

Verification is key. Programmes like Agreena’s adhere to international standards (like Verra VCS), third-party audits, and robust data systems to ensure credits are real and valuable.

What’s required from me?

You’ll need to adopt or maintain regenerative practices and annually report on your practices. Agreena’s platform is designed to make data reporting as straightforward as possible.

What other benefits are there?

In addition to financial rewards, Agreena provides access to insights, tools and community, such as free soil sampling and free access to the premium Farm Management System, Field Margin.

Significant progress for carbon markets

Carbon markets are opening up a new chapter for UK farmers; one where good stewardship is not just its own reward, but also a source of real income.

By measuring, verifying, and monetising the environmental benefits you create, you can build resilience, diversify your business, and join a growing community of farmers shaping the future of British agriculture.

Ready to unlock the value of your stewardship? Explore Agreena’s platform and start your journey into carbon markets today.