- The first purchasing entities are obliged to count emissions from rapeseed and corn production.
- How did the companies that purchased rapeseed deal with the new computing system? How will they approach the matter in the case of corn produced for grain? What responsibilities have been and will be borne by farmers?
- What are GHG emissions, what is NUTS 3 and what does counting emissions related to biofuels mean?
read more
The rapeseed harvest has ended and farmers are waiting to harvest corn for grain. Some have already tested the – let's call it – GHG emission system, others are just getting started with it.
Understanding the above topic is not easy, so you first need to know some of its components.
greenhouse gases
What is GHG? To put it briefly, these are greenhouse gases. These are gases that transmit most of the solar radiation (so-called short-wave radiation) reaching the Earth, while absorbing infrared radiation (so-called long-wave radiation) reflected by the Earth's surface. Six greenhouse gases have been defined. These are: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). In the case of the emission intensity of rapeseed and corn, we will be most interested in carbon dioxide.
What is NUTS 3?
The NUTS classification was formally introduced in Poland on November 26, 2005, upon the entry into force of the regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending the regulation on establishing a common classification of Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes (NUTS). As of January 2018, there are 97 NUTS units in Poland: NUTS 1 – macroregions (grouping voivodeships) – 7 units; NUTS 2 – regions (voivodeships or parts thereof) – 17 units; NUTS 3 – subregions (grouping counties) – 73 units.
We already know what greenhouse gases are and what the NUTS classification is. Now it's time to combine both of these components. This concerns carbon dioxide emissions during the production of rapeseed and corn in a given subregion, i.e. in individual counties.
read more
Subsidies for land excluded from production – recruitment until September 2
CO2 emissions from rapeseed and corn
Why do we only deal with rapeseed and corn produced for grain? Well, it's about the emissivity of biofuels, i.e. the products from which biofuels are produced – rapeseed seeds and corn grain (biocomponents and biodiesel).
From this year, EU member states are legally obliged to count the above emissions. This obligation fell on the so-called first purchasing entities (FGP), i.e. purchasing centers purchasing agricultural produce from farmers. The above obligations result from the following legal acts:
Act of August 25, 2006 on biocomponents and liquid biofuels;
Directive (EU) 2028/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources;
Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/996 of 14 June 2022 on the rules for verifying the criteria for sustainable development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the criteria for low risk of causing indirect land use change.
The law is the law, and emissions must be counted. Pursuant to Regulation 2022/996, when calculating GHG emissions, purchasing entities had to take into account the following components in the production of agricultural produce:
- seed material
- artificial fertilizers and pesticides
- emissions from acidification related to fertilizers and liming
- soil emissions (nitrous oxide) from crops
- use of fuels (e.g. diesel oil, gasoline, other fuels) in agricultural machinery
- emissions caused by the collection, drying and storage of raw materials
- emissions from electricity used in agricultural activities
Emissions were counted not only from farms and fields, but also at the stage of production of seeds used for sowing by farmers, fertilizers, protection products, fuels and, of course, electricity used by farmers.
read more
Biofuels will help remove surpluses of rapeseed and corn from the market
IUNG to the rescue
Fortunately, the obligation to count GHG emissions rested with purchasing entities and enterprises, and not with farmers themselves. In this situation, the National Chamber of Biofuels and PSPO called the Institute of Cultivation, Fertilization and Soil Science to the rescue. Scientists from this institute under the supervision of Dr. hab. Jerzy Kozyra did an intricate job and calculated emissions for rapeseed and maize in individual NUTS 3 subregions. Then these data were published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, became official information from the state administration and therefore could be used by companies operating on the rapeseed market and corn. Farmers – as emphasized by the National Chamber of Biofuels – only had to sign appropriate declarations when selling agricultural produce at collection points.
Why all this, how was this system built and what can farmers expect in the future? The above questions are answered by Adam Stępień, director general of the National Chamber of Biofuels and the Polish Association of Oil Producers. He gives a lot of advice and says whether GHG emissions from rapeseed and corn can affect purchase prices?
The conversation with Adam Stępień can be found in the attached video.
