DAIRY CO-OP First Milk has acquired a 5% stake in soil carbon measurement company, Agricarbon.

The Dundee-based start-up company specialises in evidencing and valuing soil carbon sequestration – the crucial evidence needed to back up livestock farming's claim that properly managed grassland can store as much greenhouse gas as cows release.

Founded by Scottish farming entrepreneur, Stewart Arbuckle; data services entrepreneur and decarbonisation expert Annie Leeson; and technology commercialisation expert Alan Strong, Agricarbon’s mission is to accelerate a widespread transition to more proactive soil stewardship, by unlocking the value of soil carbon sequestration as a major carbon sink. It offers a soil carbon measurement service using proprietary technology to automate the most robust scientific methodologies for intensive, direct soil sample collection and analysis, at a fraction of the usual cost.

The company has already been operating a large-scale pilot in partnership with First Milk and Nestlé, building a robust soil carbon baseline for the First Milk farms involved. That pilot covers over 7000 hectares of land and incorporates data from 40,000 soil samples, making it one of the largest datasets of real-world soil carbon measurements in the world.

Commenting on the results to date, First Milk sustainability director Mark Brooking said: “The data represents a breakthrough in the visibility of carbon in farm soils. As well as establishing average soil carbon levels, the pilot has also shown that there are wide variations between the levels of carbon in different fields and at different depths. This demonstrates the real opportunity to sequester significant additional carbon in soil through the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.”

First Milk chief executive Shelagh Hancock said: “As part of our First4Milk sustainability programme we have committed to achieving net zero by 2040 at the latest and to sequestering an additional 100,000 tonnes of carbon per year through the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices by our members. Having robust, scientifically validated data to establish an accurate soil carbon baseline, and monitor future changes, is essential to the delivery of this strategy and by working with Agricarbon we are already leading the way globally in this area.

“Our investment in Agricarbon will help it scale faster, allowing it to rapidly accelerate its ambitious growth plans. It will also further strengthen our position in dairy sustainability, helping us to demonstrate that our dairy farmer members can be part of the solution to the climate crisis through good soil management.”

Agricarbon's Ms Leeson added: “First Milk understood, early on, the vital role that high integrity soil carbon measurement will play in achieving net zero targets for agriculture. Having the support of forward-thinking customers like First Milk is invaluable for innovators like Agricarbon. Their investment will allow us to expand our service to the wider farming industry and meet rapidly building demand for affordable, decision-grade data on carbon stock and soil carbon sequestration, unlocking the potential for sustainably managed soils to offer a major new natural climate solution.”