Cargill, a leading provider of food, agriculture, financial, and industrial products and services, has partnered with TREES Consulting to develop a beef methodology that enables the quantification of methane emissions reduction in the beef industry. The new methodology, which has been approved by the Gold Standard, allows beef producers to measure the reduction in methane emissions resulting from the use of feed supplements in cattle diets. Methane emissions from cattle arise from the digestion process and burping, as well as from manure handling.
The methodology provides a framework that beef producers can adopt to quantify reductions in methane emissions and enables them to register their GHG mitigation project for Gold Standard certification. The certification process allows initiatives to quantify, manage, and maximize their impacts towards climate security and requires verifiable impact towards three or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Gold Standard’s Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs) can be traded in carbon markets, providing credit purchasers with the opportunity to support the projects.
Cargill, through its Reach4Reduction program, aims to accelerate methane reduction efforts by supporting producers in managing on-farm productivity, optimizing animal health and nutrition, and innovating with new additives and solutions that reduce methane and nitrogen emissions directly. The company is committed to finding ways to recognize and reward producers for their sustainability efforts.
The new methodology establishes a baseline for emissions and tracks the cattle given feed supplements over the course of the project. The project crediting period is set at five years and can be renewed for an additional five years, excluding the baseline years.
Cargill’s collaboration with TREES Consulting and the development of this methodology paves the way for the beef industry to reduce methane emissions and contribute to sustainability goals. The methodology provides a reliable way to measure the impact of agricultural practices on methane reduction.
Overall, this partnership and the development of the beef methodology highlight the commitment of Cargill and the beef industry towards sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation, and the reduction of methane emissions.
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