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The Australian Government today launched the first methodology to be approved under the Carbon Farming Initiative, which will provide pig farmers with the opportunity to earn carbon credits for reducing methane emissions from manure.
“This is one of many ways Australian farmers will soon be able to benefit from the Carbon Farming Initiative,” Minister Ludwig said. “Under the ‘Methodology for the Destruction of Methane Generated from Manure in Piggeries’, farmers capture harmful methane emissions produced by manure and destroy the gas by flaring to prevent it entering the atmosphere or alternatively use the methane to generate heat and electricity, ” Minister Ludwig said.
The methodology was developed in collaboration with the Australian Government, the pork industry and scientists, and assessed by the independent Domestic Offsets Integrity Committee.
The Australian pork industry suggests that by using the methodology, producers could increase the return on each finished carcass by around $3.45 and preliminary trials suggest the payback period for this infrastructure ranges from 18 months to five years in smaller operations.
Farmers can start planning projects based on the methodology now and apply to participate in the Carbon Farming Initiative when it begins operating in December this year.
The cost of installing basic methane capture infrastructure is likely to range from around $75,000 to $200,000 depending on the size of the piggery. This is the first of a range of methodologies that will be available for Australian agriculture industries.
Thursday November 10, 2011/ Australian Pork Limited/ Australia.
http://www.australianpork.com.au
