Co-operation Helps to Manage Carbon Emissions
A benchmark survey carried out by SAOS as part of a Carbon Trust Networks project has established that through co-operation, farmers can cut their carbon footprint and save money. The five farmer co-operatives involved in the project are: Borders Machinery Ring, Scottish Agronomy, North Highland Products, HBS Ring and Tayforth Machinery Ring.
The survey found that the average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions across the 10 farms surveyed was 3.85 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per hectare. Hamish Walls of SAOS said, “Although all the figures are interesting, the most important point realised during the survey was that farmers have plenty of opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint and save money.”
To help farmers understand more about carbon management alongside the five farmer co-operative partners, SAOS will be holding a series of lunchtime seminars this winter, supported by the Carbon Trust Scotland. At the events, the process of greenhouse gas production on farms will be explained and farmers will have the chance to calculate their own carbon footprint using a web based calculator. In addition, a series of environmental and money saving tips will be highlighted, so that the participants can go back to their businesses and consider where they might make changes to improve their performance.
The events are planned as follows:
22 Jan 2008, Scottish Borders. Hosted by Borders Machinery Ring, phone 01896 758091
23 Jan 2008, Fife. Hosted by Tayforth Machinery Ring, phone 01577 830616
24 Jan 2008, Aberdeenshire. Hosted by Scottish Agronomy, phone 01577 862759
5 Feb 2008, Invernesshire. Hosted by HBS Ring, phone 01463 811603
6 Feb 2008, North Highlands. Hosted by North Highland Products, phone 0845 8380488
Contact Hamish on 01896 822 275