Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) has published the latest version of its Leaf Marque Standard after a two-year public consultation.
Revisions for the new standard had been made to “raise the bar on important sustainable farming issues like greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration and carbon footprinting”, Leaf said.
The new version of the standard also includes developments in climate resilience, conservation, soil health, nutrient management, crop health and protection, deforestation and animal husbandry.
“We strongly believe this new version of the Leaf Marque Standard strikes the right balance, between setting a high ambition for sustainability and the need to make sure the requirements are practical for the best-performing farming businesses around the world,” said Vicky Robinson, director, technical at Leaf.
The two-year consultation involved a broad range of stakeholders including Leaf members, farmers, scientists, environmental organisations, government bodies, commercial partners and members of the public.
This third-party scrutiny was described as “central to our values and our commitment to respond to the constantly evolving field of sustainable farming” by Tom Green, Leaf Marque chairman.
The latest version of the standard will take effect from 1 April 2023.
“The Leaf Marque Standard is continually evolving,” said Green. “We are proud of the revisions we have made.
“The farming industry is facing huge changes. Against this background, Leaf Marque provides a powerful tool to accelerate incremental improvements at a farm level.”
Since its launch in 2003, the standard has provided a mechanism recognising and rewarding good sustainable farming practice in the marketplace.
No comments yet