NI farmers oppose compulsory carbon auditing plans

Farmers in Northern Ireland have warned against making carbon auditing a condition of receiving farm support amid concerns over financial penalties and auditing methods.

The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has reiterated its opposition to the proposals as the Northern Ireland Assembly’s agriculture, environment and rural affairs committee undertakes a four-week review of the Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme regulations.

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Under the plans, farmers would be required to register for and complete carbon footprinting training by 15 May 2029 as a condition of receiving Farm Sustainability Payments (FSP).

Those failing to comply would face a 10% reduction in their payment in 2029, increasing to 15% from 2030.

However, while the regulations would introduce compulsory training backed by financial penalties, they do not explicitly require farmers to complete a carbon audit.

UFU deputy president Glenn Cuddy said: “We are not opposed to carbon footprinting, but it should be a voluntary tool that may assist farmers in identifying opportunities for improvement, not another mandatory requirement tied to vital farm support.”

Concerns over accuracy

The union acknowledged the need to reduce agricultural emissions, but said any assessment must reflect the characteristics of Northern Ireland’s livestock sector, particularly methane emissions.

It also raised concerns that existing carbon calculators do not adequately recognise sequestration on farms, potentially giving an incomplete picture of their environmental performance.

“Until there is a more complete and balanced method of assessment, it is unreasonable to expect farmers to accept mandatory carbon accounting as a condition of receiving support,” Mr Cuddy said.

The union added it was equally concerned by the proposal to fund the scheme through the Sustainable Agriculture Programme budget rather than Just Transition funding.

“Farmers’ direct support should not be redirected to finance additional compulsory requirements,” he added.

Emissions reduction targets

The UFU also pointed to the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which establishes legally binding emissions reduction targets and provides for fully funded farm carbon audits.

However, it said the legislation does not require individual audits to become a compulsory condition of receiving the FSP.

Mr Cuddy added: “There is an important distinction between meeting our climate obligations and making carbon auditing compulsory as a condition of farm support.”