The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said that carbon auditing should not become a “mandatory condition” for farm support, stressing that any move in this direction “must be firmly grounded in real market demand”.
The UFU was referring to conditionalities for the 2026 Farm Sustainability Payment, under the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA’s) Sustainable Agriculture Programme.
Earlier this year, DAERA confirmed the new conditionalities for the 2026 Farm Sustainability Payment, which included the following:
- Participation in the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS);
- Participation in the Bovine Genetics Project.
Participation in the Carbon Footprinting Project is also planned to become a conditionality for the FSP, DAERA said.
The timeline for the introduction of this conditionality has still to be agreed.
‘Lack of clarity’
UFU president William Irvine said: “Farm businesses are being asked to adapt at pace, but there remains a lack of clarity about who is ultimately driving the need for carbon audits.
“If this is genuinely a market requirement, then that needs to be clearly articulated by processors, retailers and others in the supply chain.”
The UFU stressed that carbon auditing should not become “another layer of conditionality placed on farmers”.
“Linking carbon audits to support payments is not the right approach,” Irvine said.
“These decisions should be commercially driven.
“If the market requires carbon data, then it must also recognise the cost, time and investment involved for farm businesses and provide a fair return.”
The UFU also said that many farmers “remain uncertain about how carbon data would be collected, used and valued”.
Irvine added: “There are still too many unanswered questions.
“Farmers need straightforward information on what participation would involve, how their data will be handled and, importantly, what benefit it delivers back to their business.”
The UFU said it recently confirmed to DAERA its opposition to farmers being required to carry out individual carbon audits, underlining “growing concerns among members on the issue”.
Irvine said: “Farmers are not opposed to improving sustainability.
“But any measures brought forward must be practical, proportionate and aligned with clear market signals and not imposed without justification.”