Have any questions?
01603 814869
Have any questions?
01603 814869
Is your farm sequestering carbon or are your farm activities contributing to carbon emissions? With the current policy drive towards Net Zero, it has never been more vital to understand carbon – how it affects our lives and the natural world. To reduce global warming and offset carbon emissions, society is searching for ways of reducing emissions and/or capturing carbon. In this regard, farms are well-placed to deliver these solutions, and the way to begin is with Carbon Auditing.
For Norfolk farmers to aid the effort in reaching Net Zero, farms must take the initial step of first understanding their own carbon balance through Carbon Auditing.
A carbon audit will endeavour to calculate whether farms are contributing to carbon emissions or sequestering carbon through on-farm carbon strategies, such as creating or enhancing natural habitats or utilising regenerative farming practices. Farms are likely to be both sequestering and emitting carbon, by carbon auditing farmers can understand the balance between the two. When asking which of these a farm is doing, the answer is likely that it is doing both, and Carbon Auditing will allow farms to strike a balance between the two. Once this is understood, farmers can be introduced to further opportunities that may exist for their farms.
For a farm to receive a carbon footprint calculation report, they can enlist the help of Norfolk FWAG and our specialist team of advisers. Our process usually involves:
Carbon Auditing is the first step in a farm’s carbon exploration which can lead to financial support and a mammoth leap forward towards a healthier natural environment, and eventually, Net Zero.
As we mentioned, understanding a farm’s carbon balance through carbon footprint auditing is the first stage of the journey. As you progress, opportunities that may present themselves include your farm being able to offer carbon credits to a carbon marketplace, as well as receiving financial support in return for maintaining carbon capture for a period of time. With opportunities such as these readily available, Carbon Auditing can act as a gateway to new income streams for farm businesses; along with this, Norfolk farmers will be well pleased knowing they are absorbing carbon from the atmosphere with valuable natural assets and on-farm carbon strategies.
Navigating the carbon marketplace can be a daunting undertaking, however, members of Norfolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group who are keen to understand their carbon, and go a step further to do their part by taking firm action, can be guided by our carbon and farming advice service.
Indeed non-members of Norfolk FWAG can still access our expertise in Carbon Auditing, but this will come at a higher cost compared to members who receive preferential rates for our services, along with plenty of other benefits.
During the winter of 2023-2024, Norfolk FWAG team members, Evan Burdett and Henry Walker, worked with Norfolk County Council to identify ponds eligible for restoration and opportunities for pond creation to reverse terrestrialisation.
Our team set out with the goal of creating a detailed report that would provide an understanding of this situation, which would then assist in targeting environmental stewardship options and other initiatives.
In celebration of Earth Day, a spirited group of volunteers from Crisp Malt joined forces with representatives from Norfolk FWAG — Henry Walker and Bea White — along with farmer, Nick Anema, for a day of tree guard removal.
As the Norfolk delivery partner for the DEFRA Future Farming Resilience Fund-funded Royal Countryside Fund run, and Farm for the Future programme, Norfolk FWAG’s Sasha Wells and Bea White are providing essential support to farmers.