Emission intensity of Scottish agricultural commodities

This project looked at improving the measurement of the GHG emissions intensity of the main agricultural commodities at a national level. 

The Scottish Agricultural Emissions Model (SAEM) calculates the amount of commodity produced per herd/flock or per hectare of crop and the GHG emissions arising from this production. The emissions intensity of the commodity can then be calculated.

SAEM complements the UK GHG Inventory by providing estimates of the emissions intensities of the main agricultural commodities in Scotland. SAEM uses the IPCC’s widely accepted and transparent Tier 2 approach to calculating GHG emissions, which has a clear scientific rationale as is consistent with the UK GHG Inventory approach.

Using SAEM does require a moderate knowledge of MS Excel and some familiarity with agricultural processes and the emissions arising from them. SAEM is therefore not intended for use by the layperson or occasional user but provides experienced users with significant scope for investigating the drivers of agricultural emissions.