A new carbon calculator will be available free of charge to tillage farmers in the second half of the year. The tool has been developed by Teagasc as part of AgNav, a system already used to calculate livestock emissions.

It is a major step on the road to rewarding tillage farmers for their low carbon footprint, as the tool uses Irish research and data. Other tools use international figures based on different soil types, weather and crop yields to Ireland.

John Spink of Teagasc said it is the best tool available to measure Irish emissions. He explained that data produced in other countries will not be the same in Ireland.

Some companies are measuring or starting to measure carbon on tillage farms. As no Irish tool was available up to now they were using or are planning to use other tools.

Boortmalt and Soil Capital are launching a pilot programme to measure carbon emissions at present.

“We are aware of this evolution and will advise on progress as we onboard farmers and continue to develop the programme,” both parties said.

The IFA told the Irish Farmers Journal it is due to meet with Boortmalt and Soil Capital to discuss some of the details of the pilot programme.

The Guinness Regenerative Agriculture Project is currently measuring carbon on farms with another tool.

A Diageo spokesperson said: “This is a positive step for the agricultural industry in Ireland and we welcome all progress in this space.”