The Swiss farmer organization IP-SUISSE has initiated a project aiming at reducing the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) by 10% on 10.000 farms in 2022 compared to 2016. IP-SUISSE intends to introduce a point-based system for climate mitigation measures like for example using phase feeding for pig fattening, covering the slurry pit, or applying a fertilization plan. Farmers participating in the IP-SUISSE label have to implement a sufficient number of measures in order to meet a minimum amount of points set for each farm. Using the SALCA-Method (Swiss Agricultural Life Cycle Assessment) by Agroscope the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 30 pilot farms of three types (animal-intensive, mountain agriculture, arable farming) is calculated for two years 2016 and 2018, respectively, meaning before and after implementing climate mitigation measures of the point-based system. The amount of GHGe (in CO2-equivalents; CO2e) reduced in 2018 with the intended mitigation measures of the pilot farms is as follows: the largest reduction potential is achieved in animal-intensive farms (with 45 t CO2e per farm on average) followed by the mountain dairy farms (30 t CO2e per farm) and the arable farms (30 t CO2e per farm). First extrapolations yield to a GWP of all 10’000 IP-SUISSE label producers of about 1.5 Mio tCO2e per year. Therefore, a reduction of 10% corresponds to around 150’000 t CO2e, i.e. 15 t CO2e per farm on average. With respect to the above-mentioned estimates, the GHG reduction goal seems feasible.
