Pāmu, the largest farming group in New Zealand, manages more than 100 farms, covering nearly 360,000ha, across sheep, beef, dairy, deer, forestry, and horticulture.
To achieve the certification, operational greenhouse gas emissions are calculated for each farm, and a plan to manage and reduce them is developed.
The certification, which meets international standards, requires detailed annual data and independent verification of measurement and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
“This demonstrates the good work farmers do each year on their emissions reduction journey, a consumer demand that is increasing,” Leslie said.
“It is also a key driver for meeting the conditions of the state-owned enterprise’s two sustainability-linked loans.”
In 2022, Pāmu farms contributed 0.71 million gross metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and sequestered about 0.3m metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.