Agricultural Innovation Australia releases new emissions accounting platform

Agricultural Innovation Australia (AIA) has developed a multi-disciplinary environmental accounting platform (EAP), designed to ready Australia’s agriculture industries for future market access requirements.

“Producers, mixed enterprises and corporate farming entities will be able to access trusted emissions calculations through providers and tools utilising the EAP engine or code,” AIA CEO, Sam Brown, said

The AIA hoped to enable the incorporation of emissions standards into industry accounting tools and calculators. It said it would provide free access to its calculation engine and open-source code until June 2028.

The project was given a $6.4 million grant from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in a bid to boost the consistency of on-farm greenhouse gas emissions calculators.

“Supporting farmers to calculate their individual on-farm emissions can help them reduce their carbon footprint, save on operating costs, and improve their productivity,” Julie Collins, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said

“This will help our farmers to diversify their income streams, and ensure they continue to remain internationally competitive in terms of emissions per unit of production.”

AIA said that its calculation engine and open source code would be made freely available.

Brown said that their grant had reflected the need for consistent, accurate and accessible environmental accounting tools, as mandatory climate disclosure requirements are set to take effect.

The tools would be initially aligned to Greenhouse Accounting Framework tools for Australian Primary Industries, then transition to the government’s forthcoming voluntary emissions and reporting standards for agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries, once available.

“When designing the EAP, we were able to listen to producers, and develop a solution that can evolve to meet their needs, in particular those of mixed farming operations. AIA has already catalysed improvements to beef, sheep and grains calculators, and brought new commodities into the GAF model,” Brown said.

“As a not-for-profit, AIA welcomes this grant as recognition of our unique cross-sectoral role, and of the efficiencies and productivity gains that can be achieved through effective engagement and collaboration.”

It added that it would work closely with the Zero Net Emissions from Agriculture cooperative research center, which would provide scientific insights to underpin AIA’s greenhouse gas accounting frameworks.

Brown added that AIA would continue to provide producers with free access to the EAP’s online calculator tool.

“Advancing Australian agriculture, fisheries and forestry is about not leaving anyone behind. Understanding emissions helps all primary producers to make more informed decisions that benefit both the environment and their bottom line,” he said.

“AIA’s calculation engine makes available the latest science and delivers the precision that key production sectors—such as grains and livestock—demand. At the same time, our online calculator supports producers of niche commodities or those without access to third-party accounting tools and calculators.”