Bord Bia has introduced a number of changes to its Farm Sustainability Survey to make it more user friendly for farmers, the food board has said. Among these changes are an expanded list of fertiliser options as well as a condensed section on housing and turnout.
As part of the audit process, farmers must complete a sustainability survey in which they report on farm management activity.
All farmers audited after March 8, as part of the sustainable beef, lamb, and dairy assurance schemes, will complete the new version of the survey.
Sustainability data and analytics manager with Bord Bia, Dr. Eleanor Murphy, explained that the new survey will capture more precise data, which will lead to more accurate reporting, “reflective of what’s happening on-farm”.
“When completing the survey, it is important that the information provided is accurate to obtain a correct carbon footprint and grass-fed calculation,” she said.
The sustainability survey is used in conjunction with data from the Agricultural Information Management Standards portal, Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, and milk production data for dairy farms. This is then used to calculate each individual farm’s carbon footprint and grass-fed calculation, and to generate a farmer feedback report.
This report provides farmers with their farm’s carbon footprint as well as an assessment of farm productivity, nutrient management, grassland management, and farm safety.
The sustainability survey questions cover a range of topics from animal grazing to energy, water and fertiliser use, taking approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Before the audit
The survey should be completed before the audit using the online portal on Bord Bia’s website.
Alternatively, farmers can contact the Bord Bia helpdesk on: 01 524 0410 (Monday to Friday, 9:00a.m to 8:00p.m), to complete the survey over the phone.