Overview
The Australian Government is responding to calls from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (AFF) sectors for consistent guidance on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimation and reporting.
Producers and land managers are increasingly being asked for information about their GHG emissions. These expectations are rising as markets evolve and supply chains increasingly track progress toward voluntary climate commitments.
Producers who can understand and communicate about their emissions are better positioned to engage confidently and effectively with customers and financial institutions.
While GHG emissions calculators are available to assist the AFF sectors, stakeholders raised concerns about inconsistent results, causing uncertainty about which calculators to use or how to begin.
The Australian Government is developing the GHG Emissions Estimation and Reporting Guidelines for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. These voluntary guidelines will improve the quality and consistency of emissions estimation methods, and, in turn, the calculation tools entities rely on to estimate and report emissions.
Emissions estimation and reporting is complex. The easiest way for producers to adopt the Guidelines will be for producers to use an emissions calculator that is aligned with these Guidelines.
The Guidelines consist of:
The Common Requirements Framework
Outlines general rules and guidance for AFF entities to produce an emissions inventory and undertake basic product emissions intensity estimation.
Methodological Guidance
Provides detailed methods and data sources needed for calculating emissions across different commodities, designed for technical users including land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) guidance.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is working with the Zero Net Emissions Agriculture Cooperative Research Centre to design and deliver the Common Requirements Framework and has engaged Environmental Accounting Services Pty Ltd to help deliver the Methodological Guidance.
The Guidelines are being developed with input from the Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Estimation and Reporting Standards Reference Group.
DCCEEW intends to publish the first version of the Guidelines in mid-2026.
The Guidelines will be updated regularly to ensure they continue to meet the evolving needs of users. Consultation on new versions of the Guidelines will occur annually (likely April – May).
Consultation on the Version 1 draft documents is being managed in two tranches.
