Ben's HCC Scholarship Report
From Knowledge to Action: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Pasture-Based Beef and Sheep Systems
I am delighted to share my HCC Scholarship report, funded by Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales as part of their commitment to developing the next generation of Welsh agricultural leadership.
Over the course of 2025 and into 2026, the scholarship took me to the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, and across the UK, visiting research institutions, commercial farms, and industry bodies at the forefront of GHG mitigation in pasture-based livestock systems.
The central conclusion is this: Wales does not have a knowledge problem. The tools to reduce emissions from beef and sheep systems exist, are proven, and are in many cases economically positive. What is missing is the measurement infrastructure, the peer learning networks, and the supply chain mechanisms that make acting on that knowledge the path of least resistance for the average Welsh farmer.
Key findings include:
Multispecies swards consistently reduced methane emissions, improved animal performance, and cut days to slaughter across every country visited.
Ireland's Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS), run by Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board, puts every participating beef farm in a national carbon distribution with the top 10% achieve 6.81 kg CO₂e per kg liveweight; the bottom 10% sit at 14.03. Wales has no equivalent system.
A Welsh farm I audited as part of my consultancy work came in at 8.37kg CO₂e per kg of meat sold with no sequestration counted. The Welsh national average is 11-16kg net. That farm is already below it. Wales has farmers performing at this level. They are not visible, and they are not celebrated.
The report includes recommendations for farmers, industry and levy bodies, and policymakers, with a focus on incentives that reward production rather than restrict it, and on education and peer learning as the most effective mechanisms for change.
I would like to thank Hybu Cig Cymru for funding this opportunity, and every farmer, researcher, and adviser who gave their time across the five visits. I welcome any thoughts from those working in this space.
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