Group including FrieslandCampina develops carbon sequestration calculation tool

Companies including FrieslandCampina, global soil scientists and life-cycle assessment (LCA) specialists have worked together to build the world’s first LCA-based methodology for calculating carbon sequestration in cattle production systems: C-Sequ. It is now available for pilot testing.

C-Sequ is designed to encourage the implementation of positive farm management practices that both promote and retain carbon in the soil and vegetation in a quantified way.

Margrethe Jonkman, global director research & development at FrieslandCampina, said, “Our farmers take all kinds of actions to reduce their climate impact, that’s part of our ambition for a carbon neutral future. Carbon sequestration is a crucial solution for that. The C-Sequ guidelines are a key tool to help measure the farmer’s efforts effectively and scientifically. It helps them to know how well they do or if there is room for improvement. Next to that, it can be a base to reward those efforts.’’​

Although testing of the C-Sequ methodology is already under way in more than 100 different production systems around the world, additional dairy pilots are encouraged in order to maximize learning.

Results from these trials, including potential improvements, will be incorporated into an updated methodology to be released next year.