Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of the on-farm calculations undertaken by (a) farmers and (b) her Department of on-farm (i) carbon cycling and (ii) sequestration.

(a) At present there are many tools to support on-farm carbon calculations and audits available for use by farmers and farm advisers. Defra is in the process of completing an assessment of the variability and comparability of the most popular on-farm carbon audit tools, which differ widely in their complexity and underlying methodology. There are trade-offs between the accuracy and specificity of tools, and the complexity of data required to underpin the calculations. Defra is considering options to improve standardisation.

(b)There is a mature evidence base on the cycling and sequestration of carbon within and through the farmed and semi-natural landscape. On-farm emissions are monitored and assessed through the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, and Defra is seeking to understand broader supply chain emissions through additional research. Other research has assessed methods to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in farming and carbon stores; all of which undergoes independent scrutiny through peer review.