Dutch agribusiness group, Agrifirm, has been working to increase transparency in how CO2 emissions from the food chain are recorded.
It has launched its new CO2-in feed dashboard. The tool is designed to provide livestock farmers with real-time insights into the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions of the animal feed they purchase while also offering targeted recommendations for reducing their environmental impact.
CO2-eq is a metric that allows different greenhouse gas emissions to be compared based on their global warming potential (GWP), as defined by the EU Commission.
Initially targeted at Dutch farmers, Agrifirm’s dashboard supports dairy, pig, and poultry farmers by integrating emissions data into their sustainability reporting and operational decision-making.
As part of broader Scope 3 sustainability obligations, agricultural entities, including buyers of milk, meat, and eggs, must report on their indirect emissions. Agrifirm said its dashboard simplifies this process by making CO2-eq data easy to process in Scope 3 Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) disclosures.
When asked how the platform calculates emissions for diverse types of animal feed, a spokesperson for the company explained:
“CO2 emissions are calculated based on the carbon footprint (CFP) per kilogram of product multiplied by the amount of product delivered within a selected period. Data sources include the NEVEDI/GFLI database for raw materials and transportation, while emissions from production and outbound logistics, are derived using NEVEDI tooling. The dashboard integrates information from SAP, tracking product categories, feed mills, ingredient mixes, and customer shipments to provide detailed emissions insights.”
Emissions reduction
The dashboard offers tailored recommendations for reducing CO2 emissions across different livestock sectors. Key strategies include:
- Green energy sources
- Improved manure management
- Optimized feeding strategies
- Enhanced animal efficiency and longevity
While the tool currently provides general insights based on reference farms via Sustell, Agrifirm said it plans to introduce farm-specific calculations for poultry, leveraging PoultryNEXT and Sustell.
Dairy-specific calculations are already available through Agrifirm advisors, it added.
Integration with sustainability reporting
Agrifirm said the dashboard integrates with existing reporting frameworks such as CSRD and Kringloopwijzer, which Dutch dairy farmers use to report sustainability metrics.
While it does not replace Kringloopwijzer, it provides real-time insights, allowing farmers to adjust their strategies throughout the year for better emission control, the spokesperson told us.
For pigs and poultry, where no uniform reporting platform exists, the dashboard anticipates future industry demands by making CFP data readily available to customers.
To maintain data integrity, Agrifirm ensures its CFP data is certified via the MI5.5 Carbon Footprint Statement under GMP+ standards.