A draft report on ways to reduce gas emissions from farm animals to earn farmers carbon credit units has been released for public comment.
The Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (ERAC) released the report to assist it in providing advice to the Minister for the Environment on whether the proposed method would meet the standards required for offsets.
In a statement, the ERAC said the draft method, if made, would provide an opportunity for landholders and businesses to earn Australian carbon credit units through the Emissions Reduction Fund by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the management of organic effluent at piggery or dairy facilities.
“The draft method credits greenhouse gas abatement that results from changing effluent treatment from storing effluent in anaerobic ponds to capturing and combusting methane (emissions destruction activities) and reducing the amount of methane produced (emissions avoidance activities),” the statement said.
“Emissions destruction activities remove methane by capturing and combusting biogas containing methane that is generated from the anaerobic digestion of effluent.”
It said this activity provided opportunities to generate electricity and heat that could be used on‑farm and potentially supplied to the grid.
“Emissions avoidance activities reduce methane emissions by separating solids from the effluent stream and treating them in a way that creates fewer emissions compared to if the effluent continued to be treated in an anaerobic pond,” the statement said.
“Under the method, solids are stored in aerobic stockpiles or as compost in order that less methane is produced. There is no opportunity to generate electricity from this process.”
Submissions on the draft report will be received until 12 April and a 39-page explanatory statement setting out details of the proposed model can be accessed at this PS News link.
