Farmers could be paid for the carbon they capture and store on their farms.

New carbon farming legislation received the green light from the European Parliament’s agriculture committee on Wednesday, clearing the first political hurdle in Brussels. It will see a framework put in place for the certification of carbon storage on farms and establish a carbon trading system.

Farmers who plant hedgerows, rewet peatlands and create wildlife habitats, among a range of other measures, will be eligible to have these actions certified.

It is unclear how carbon values will be established and traded. However, MEP Colm Markey said that certified on-farm carbon should be traded in line with international carbon credits.

“There’s opportunity for all farmers in this,” he said. However, he added that the level of sequestration on better-quality land and from hedgerows would be lower compared to that of peat soils.

“There’s definitely more of a benefit in this for farmers on peatlands,” he said.