Media Release: SCIG Welcomes Soil Method Review Findings
29 July 2026: The Soil Carbon Industry Group (SCIG) welcomes the release of the Australian Government’s Periodic Review of the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative—Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems) Methodology Determination 2021 (Soil Carbon Method).
The Review marks an important step for an industry now operating across more than one million hectares of Australian farmland. It confirms the important role for soil carbon under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme and sets out a practical path for improving the Method and supporting its continued development.
SCIG Co-Chair Chris McCosker commented “This review provides an opportunity for us to build on lessons learned, strengthen confidence in the Method, and ensure soil carbon projects can continue to deliver environmental, economic and productivity benefits for Australian landholders.”
Review Findings and Recommendations
The Review considered whether the current Soil Carbon Method satisfies the ACCU Scheme’s six Offset Integrity Standards (OIS); Additionality, Measurable and verifiable, Eligible carbon abatement, Evidence-based, Project Emissions, and Conservative.
The Review found that the Method meets five of the six Offsets Integrity Standards and made four recommendations to strengthen its compliance with the Conservativeness standard…
Australia’s Soil Carbon Industry: A Decade of Building
29 July 2026: Australian soil carbon has just passed one million hectares (1,005,029 ha) of farmland in active projects registered under the ACCU Scheme. That number did not happen overnight. In a single decade, soil carbon has grown from a handful of pioneering projects into a national industry that measures, verifies and rewards the work farmers do to rebuild the productivity, profitability and sustainability of their land.
From a standing start
In 2015 there were just six soil carbon projects registered in Australia. The science was promising but farmer uptake was unknown, and few believed that change in soil organic carbon could be measured reliably and affordably enough to credit at scale. In 2019 that changed: Australian farmers earned the world’s first soil carbon credits issued under a national emissions reduction scheme aligned with the Paris Agreement, a global first.
From those beginnings, the industry has grown to 933 registered soil carbon projects spanning more than one million hectares (1,005,029 ha) across six states. Registrations have grown in every year since.
Response to Albanese Government 2035 Targets
Soil Carbon Industry Group Welcomes Recognition of Soil Carbon in Australia’s Net Zero Pathway
25 September 2025: The Soil Carbon Industry Group (SCIG) today welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement of its 2035 emissions reduction target and the release of the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan, recognising soil carbon as a vital component of the nation’s path to net zero.
Louisa Kiely said “Healthy soils are the foundation of resilience and prosperity — and soil carbon is Australia’s hidden climate solution.”
“Carbon drawdown begins after farmers begin new management activities. This makes project uptake the clear priority for integrity in Australia’s net zero pathway.” Said Duncan Farquhar CEO of SCIG.
SCIG has called for:
- Protection of the stand-alone soil carbon methodology and robust, science-based measurement and crediting standards.
- National uptake targets — 10% of agricultural land under soil carbon projects by 2030, 30% by 2035, 50% by 2040, and 80% by 2050 — to ensure soil carbon delivers its full potential.
“These targets are ambitious but achievable if government, industry, and producers work together,” Kiely said.
To galvanise action, SCIG will host Soil C Day as part of the National Carbon Farming Conference & Expo in November, bringing farmers, scientists, and policymakers together to turn recognition into results.
“SCIG will use this platform to energise the sector and launch a long-term collaboration around data, research, and trusted soil carbon markets,” Kiely said.
SCIG brings focus on Soil Carbon to Canberra
18 October 2023: The businesses leading the development of Soil Carbon as a climate solution were Canberra-bound this week to meet with key decision-makers.
The Soil Carbon Industry Group (SCIG) held its Annual General Meeting in Canberra on Tuesday 18th October at 10:30 am in the Kurrajong Hotel, Barton.
With soil carbon the largest pool of carbon within human control, SCIG is leading in facilitating rapid drawdown of atmospheric carbon into soil, to deliver soil security and a safe climate. Innovation with skilled land managers is critical to success. The Australian team for action with soil carbon is well placed to support this innovation and ensure that soil carbon makes a material contribution to meeting Paris climate targets.
SCIG Members joined a meeting of the Parliamentary Friends for Climate Action on Tuesday morning in Parliament House. Meetings with The Clean Energy Regulator and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water will also focus on accelerating participation in soil carbon projects.
