Regeneratively farmed beef cattle could sequester more carbon than they emit, according to modelling results from a McDonald's-sponsored project at FAI Farms. And the robust data behind this, produced by soil carbon specialist Agricarbon, will enable food-producing businesses to back up their net zero balance with solid scientific findings.

The four-year (2020-2023) trial transitioned the Oxfordshire-based 486-ha organic farm from a rotational grazing system to an adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing system. The carbon balance of the farm was calculated to be beyond net zero (-49.7t of CO₂e), thanks to a combination of relatively low emissions and carbon sequestration on permanent pasture. In addition, the cattle were healthier, soil structure was improved, biodiversity boosted, and staff were happier.

"We've known for some time that healthy soil can sequester high amounts of carbon, and it's fantastic that these figures can form part of the growing global evidence to back this up," explains Dr Harry Kamilaris at Agricarbon, which carried out the soil carbon analysis.

"Our data supports companies like McDonald's with their commitments for sustainable sourcing from carbon-rich and healthy soils. It allows them to reduce emissions in their supply chain by supporting farmers to introduce advanced grazing practices. And we can use FAI Farms' approach to help farmers adopt these practices across the country."

Agricarbon undertook the sampling for the soil carbon baseline in May 2022 across three key fields, with results indicating a total carbon stock of 3,977t - an average of 107t/ha.  

"When taken alongside our gross emissions, the results suggest that the farm as a whole is beyond net zero, which is in part due to low emissions, alongside carbon sequestration in our permanent pastures," says Karl Williams at FAI Farms.

The transition to AMP grazing – whereby cattle are grazed intensively on tall pastures for a short period of time before moving, allowing long periods of rest for pasture to regenerate – increased grass yields significantly and enabled the farm to keep its stock outside all winter.

"We only bought in a small amount of feed for the 90 dairy store animals; the 80 suckler cows and followers were sustained purely from grazing and forage produced on the farm," says Karl. "We do not use synthetic fertilisers, and have low bedding requirements due to outwintering the suckler herd."

Laboratory soil analysis over the four-year trial showed that soil organic matter increased from an average of 7.6% to 9.2% at 0-10cm depth, and from 2.7 to 4.4% at 30-50cm depth. Active carbon increased by an average of 5% at 0-10cm depth and 81% at 30-50cm depth across the three key fields. This illustrates the importance of measuring throughout the full soil profile to provide a complete picture of the soil carbon dynamics beyond the topsoil alone.

"As soil organic carbon builds relatively slowly, our plan is to collect further data in spring 2027 to support the transition with transparent and robust datasets," notes Harry. "This initial paper and baseline underpin the science; the data we generate from remeasurement will then underpin the integrity of carbon removals reported. 

"This is an important step for the whole supply chain, enabling farmers and processors to reduce the overall carbon footprint of beef production and help them to meet net-zero aspirations."

·       For more information visit www.agricarbon.co.uk or to read the full report visit www.faifarms.com/mcdonalds-uk-amp-grazing-project.