The new training guide explains how directing manure to a biogas plant and using recycled nutrients can be an economic opportunity for farms, what data farms should collect, and what factors to consider during contract negotiations.
The training guide by Suomen Biokierto ja Biokaasu and Sweco Finland is related to a study that identified four ways to realise the carbon value of manure for various stakeholders.
The first pathway is market-driven value creation through incentives in the retail and food sectors. Companies in the food chain are seeking ways to reduce the climate impact of their own supply chains and are beginning to utilize manure-based recycled fertilizers in primary production.
Another pathway relates to the EU’s certification framework for carbon removals and carbon farming, namely the CRCF Regulation. In the future, the climate benefits arising from the use of recycled fertilizers could potentially be verified as certified carbon units. This still requires clear methodologies, reliable calculations, and solutions to issues related to carbon permanence, increment, and ownership.
The third pathway relates to the national implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive and the mechanisms built upon it, such as the biofuel distribution obligation and potential flexibility mechanisms. Currently, the strongest price signal for manure carbon comes precisely through systems related to energy use.
The fourth pathway involves agricultural policy. If improving soil health, carbon-enhancing farming practices, and the use of recycled fertilizers are given greater consideration in agricultural policy instruments, new incentives can be created for farmers to return organic carbon to farmland. However, current subsidy systems and regulations do not yet fully encourage the utilization of the carbon value of manure.
For more information and download the guide in Swedish or Finnish, visit the Biotalous page.