December 2025
Farmers, supply chain representatives and researchers joined our project’s online insight event for Northern Ireland on 23 October 2025. There was a lively and informed discussion covering a wide range of issues and challenges including:
Balancing many objectives: The risk of focussing only on ‘carbon’ when farming and land management provide other ecosystem services and on the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of the product potentially pitting different systems against each other was keenly felt. Northern Ireland’s small livestock farms were also seen as key to maintaining the social fabric of the country, the culture and the economy.
Net zero disengagement: Many attendees commented on feelings of alienation amongst farmers and the polarised situation around net zero in the farming community in Northern Ireland. Questions were also asked about accounting for the short-lived nature of methane and some felt that agriculture was bearing the brunt of meeting GHG emissions reductions targets.
Sources of inter-annual variability: examples of reasons for annual differences in footprinting results included data quality, the weather, pests and diseases (including TB outbreaks), and market conditions, with many factors outside of a farmer’s control. The interpretation of the numbers and reasons for trends was important and a footprint based on one year only was felt to be of limited use..
Inside and outside supply chains: some talked of their experiences of footprinting with support of a processor and being part of a government scheme. One processor highlighted its programme of footprinting with almost 600 of its producers over a two-year period. The company was using the data to report on its Scope 3 emissions as well as retailers requiring the information. In contrast many small livestock farms in Northern Ireland are selling to the live market where GHG assessment results are not part of the conversation.
More about the workshops
These initial workshops across each of the four nations sought to raise awareness about the project, explain how the calculator companies in the project are working together, and to get a range of people talking and sharing their experiences of GHG footprinting in a ‘world café’. The latter aims to encourage meaningful conversations about topics that matter to attendees and mimics a café setting.
LUNZ Footprint 