Farm audit developments Sample Clauses

Farm audit developments. During 2007, a second set of farm audits was carried out by CMi following on the audits carried out in 2006, providing an additional 100 audits to the 57 available from the previous year. To our knowledge, the 2006 audits were the first example of this kind of auditing attempted anywhere in the world. The audits this year were developed using a simple questionnaire implemented in electronic spreadsheet format. They aimed to build on the success of the previous year by: • Focusing the questions to be more tightly coupled to an integrated audit and GHG balance calculation • Learning through feedback and by engaging with a wider xxxxxx-base • Developing a simple interactive interface • Developing more accurate fossil fuel and soil factors The audits have highlighted the large diversity in management approaches, input requirements and monitoring activities that occur on UK-farms. Despite this diversity it is possible to obtain most, if not all, of the relevant data required to calculate a robust GHG balance for biofuel feedstocks. Furthermore, a number of factors which affect the accuracy and confidence in the calculations are outside the capacity or control of farmers to influence and will require alternative mechanisms to gather and analyse the data required. Such factors include indirect land-use and direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions. Future audits should directly couple the GHG calculator to questionnaire but caution must be used in interpreting the results until a number of the uncertainties are resolved (see below).