The UK Farm Soil Carbon Code will consist of a set of formal protocols that allow farmers to quantify and verify reduced greenhouse gas emissions and/or soil carbon capture as a result of adopting regenerative farming practices.
The Code will have universal benefits because of the impact of increasing and maintaining carbon in our soils - on climate change, biodiversity and flood risk management. It will also benefit farmers by generating a novel source of income and giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable agriculture and arresting environmental decline.
The Code will be free to use and open access to all farmers. It will be straightforward, practical, affordable, accessible and achievable. It will be outcome-based, not practice-based.
The Code will be applicable for different ‘carbon accounting’ purposes - offset registries, carbon insetters, carbon capture incentive schemes, ecosystem services and environmental investment products - whether carbon capture will be monetised or not.