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Cargill has partnered with Trees Consulting to launch a 'Gold Standard-approved' methane emissions reduction methodology for beef producers. Trees provide sustainable land use change solutions covering strategies for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and sustainability, carbon credit programs including GHG accounting methodology development and scope 3 value chain activities. The methodology will support beef producers in understanding the impact of feed supplements and enable projects to measure and quantify reduced methane emissions – methane is a GHG derived from enteric fermentation (the digestion process) in cattle through burping and manure handling. It provides the industry with a framework for measuring methane emissions reduction using feed supplements that have been incorporated into beef cattle diets. The 'Gold Standard’s' certification process requires verifiable impact toward three or more of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. The methodology is available for beef producers worldwide to quantify, audit and verify methane reductions. This will enable them to register their GHG mitigation project for Gold Standard certification. Gold Standard's Verified Emissions Reductions (VERs) can be traded in carbon markets, allowing credit purchasers to directly support the projects. Beef producers’ efforts in this respect can also be recognised in corporate value chains, whereby producers and food companies account for the reduction in supply chain GHG emissions, which contribute to their Scope 3 targets. Joanne Sharpe, Cargill’s global ruminant sustainability lead, said: “We know that the industry is looking for more accurate tools to measure methane reduction. As producers look at their current levels of production efficiency and work toward sustainability goals, we are committed to finding ways to ensure they can be recognised and rewarded for their efforts. As part of our methane reduction priorities, this methodology is a key step toward opening new possibilities to reduce GHG emissions in the beef supply chain.” Margaret Kim, CEO, Gold Standard, added: "Changing agricultural practice can help reduce methane emissions, and this new methodology provides beef producers with a way to reliably measure the impact of those changes. Cargill’s support is helping pave the way for the animal agriculture industry to reduce methane emissions and is complements Gold Standard's other efforts to reduce the impact of agriculture on our planet, such as our recently published methodology which reduces the methane emitted by rice production.” Projects using the new methodology will first establish a baseline for emissions during business activities for a minimum of three continuous years. The cattle given feed supplements must be clearly identified and tracked over the course of the project, with the project crediting period set at five years, which can be renewed for an additional five years, excluding the baseline years.