Agronomist & Arable Farmer Magazine shares spotlight on EFG soil carbon offering.
Following a comprehensive review of the soil carbon market, the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) has announced agreements with Regenerate Outcomes and Ecometric, two leading UK-based soil carbon programme providers.This strategic affiliation will enable EFG members to access discounted rates and favourable terms to measure, manage and monetise soil carbon on their farms.
This means the amount of carbon stored in soil can go up and down year by year.However, on average over a 20-year period, EFG expects about 3tn carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)/ha/year could be stored in soil with a modest carbon price, leading to a gross margin of about £60/ha/annum.
This might be an important additional income stream for farms over the coming years.High-integrity soil carbonEFG managing director Digby Sowerby said: “After careful analysis of the soil carbon market, we are pleased to endorse Regenerate Outcomes and Ecometric as trusted providers. Both offer high-integrity programmes that put decision-making firmly in the hands of farmers.“Our priority is to ensure members can engage in carbon markets confidently, with access to transparent, science-based programmes that support both environmental outcomes and commercial resilience.”EFG has taken a pragmatic approach in assessing market providers, looking at both the scientific and commercial offering. From an environmental perspective, EFG has been supported by Mark Kibblewhite of MK Soil Science and an emeritus professor at Cranfield University.Based on his work, EFG has decided that a ‘measure and remeasure’ approach to quantifying change in soil carbon and generating soil carbon credits is most appropriate for decision-making and for trading high-integrity carbon credits. Both Ecometric and Regenerate Outcomes complete intensive physical sampling, with carbon traded based on outcomes rather than being purely modelled.
From a commercial perspective, Trethowans (solicitors and EFG sponsors) and Natural Capital Advisory have acted for EFG in reviewing the legal agreements that farmers will need to sign to participate in soil carbon programmes. Although both programmes comprise long-term commitments, both offer methods to exit early, and EFG has also negotiated specific terms for its members to ensure they have the ability to own the soil carbon data generated.EFG will facilitate trading carbon credit sales (where members wish to trade) through its existing network of buyers, with the pool offering significant quantities of high-integrity, UK-based carbon credits through a single point of contact. Overall, EFG is aiming to achieve over 50,000tn CO2e carbon sequestration in 2026.As part of the new agreements, EFG members will receive savings of £1-£4/ha for a subscription fee that is only £1.25/ha. Members of the farmer cooperative will also benefit from selling together through existing networks of buyers, leveraging the cooperative’s scale (currently 387,000ha) to secure competitive pricing for members.