Review of the AHDB Environmental Baselining Pilot (EBP) methodology and assessment of its strengths and weaknesses as a means of farm level measurement

Contract Reference: P2608386

Contract period: 18 January 2027 to 30 April 2027

Publication date: 08 October 2026

Introduction

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is a non-departmental Government body, funded by levy income from farmers, growers and others in the supply chain, and managed as an independent organisation (independent of both commercial industry and of Government). The role of the AHDB is to help improve the efficiency and competitiveness of various agriculture sectors within the UK. Our purpose is to help our farmers, growers and industry to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

As AHDB is funded in this manner, value for money is paramount, we welcome suppliers who can offer innovative and cost-efficient solutions to meet our needs, whilst also offering superlative service that will enable us to create a world-class food and farming industry. Solutions should look to help us not only reduce costs but increase business flexibility, lift productivity, bring people together to collaborate, innovate and drive change throughout. Further information about AHDB can be found here: https://ahdb.org.uk/

Background

Since 2024, AHDB with support from Quality Meat Scotland and more recently Hybu Cig Cymru has been delivering an Environment Baselining Pilot (EBP) across beef and lamb, cereals and oilseeds, dairy and pork sectors in England, Scotland and Wales. The five-year pilot involves 177 farms and is intended to establish farm-specific environmental baselines that can improve understanding, management and recognition of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, carbon stocks and selected wider environmental performance on farm. The pilot is exploring:

• whether more accurate data and interpretation can support better decisions on farm to improve their environmental position
• the range of on-farm GHG emissions and carbon removals and how they may change over time
• soil carbon stocks and their relationship with soil characteristics and management, and the potential to remove and store carbon
• the environmental implications of agricultural practices including impact on soil carbon and nutrients
• the practical use of direct measurement, remote sensing and modelling to establish and repeat a farm baselin

The pilot combines several contractor-led workstreams that:

• estimate the woody biomass and use this to estimate the carbon stocks above ground in the trees, hedges and below ground in the roots
• measure the carbon stocks in the soil, where possible down to 1 metre deep
• use a carbon audit tool in years 1, 3 and 5 to estimate the greenhouse gas emissions from the farm, as well as estimating the carbon removals
• create farm action plans off the back of the carbon audit outputs i.e. priority on-farm actions to be taken to reduce carbon footprint (examples can be provided)
• create run-off risk maps for the farm, using the length and steepness of slopes, soil texture and long-term weather data to inform the map. This is to identify areas of farm where there is risk of soil or nutrient loss
• an assessment of the drivers of behavioural change at farm level
• a survey to provide land management and farming practices information to compliment the measurements taken.

This data will provide a baseline for each of the 177 farm’s environmental credentials and a starting point for tracking change over time.

The approach therefore combines direct measurements, LiDAR derived estimates of biomass and associated carbon stocks, default figures (used to calculate carbon stocks in woody biomass and within carbon calculators) and farmer-supplied activity data. The draft EBP protocol document is intended to explain how these elements form a coherent farm-level baseline.

At the time of publishing this specification, year one measurements have been completed, and the results are being shared, via Roadshows (which took place in June) and a webinar can be found at: Environment Baselining Pilot Webinar: Early Findings and What They Mean | AHDB. Further results will be shared in a report which will be published in January 2027.

The aim is to re-measure at the end of the project (in 2030/31), to determine the impact changes on farm have had, but also to determine whether the farmers managed to deliver on their action plans. The plans for re-measurement are still being determined, including how re-measurement could be undertaken in a cost-effective way.

Measuring the direction of travel for the country is useful, but in AHDB’s view, if we want to deliver on the environment, we need to support farmers to make decisions that are right for their business and right for the environment. To aid that decision making, farmers need data that is relevant to their own farms and support to understand that information. AHDB therefore advocates for baselining to be rolled out to every farm across the country. The primary intended benefit of any wider implementation is to provide farmers with credible, understandable and actionable information that supports positive environmental and farm-business decisions.

Public information on the EBP is available at Environment Baselining Pilot | AHDB

Purpose of the tender

AHDB wishes to appoint a suitably qualified contractor to undertake an independent review of the Environment Baselining Pilot methodology. The primary purpose is to determine whether the measurements, modelling approaches and outputs used within the pilot are suitable for achieving its original aims and providing credible, useful information that supports environmental improvement and decision-making at farm level.

The review will:

• document what has been measured, modelled and reported, and evaluate how the components combine to form a farm environmental baseline and action plan (currently action plans are focused on the carbon audits but with the intention to making it holistic to all data collected on farm as part of the project)
• Critically assess whether the EBP’s original aims were met
• assess whether the indicators, measurements, sampling approaches, models and outputs are scientifically robust, proportionate and suitable for the original aims of the pilot
• assess whether the methodology can detect meaningful environmental change over time at farm and field level
• determine the importance, scope and appropriate frequency of re-measurement, including where repeated physical measurement is necessary and where existing data or modelling may be sufficient
• compare the methodology and outputs with relevant UK and international baselining and monitoring approaches
• identify limitations arising from uncertainty, data quality or availability, intellectual property or commercial confidentiality
• provide clear and prioritised recommendations for re-measurement and wider implementation of baselining

AHDB will provide the successful tenderer with all the relevant EBP project documentation required to undertake this piece of work.

Tender Objectives

1. describe and critically appraise the original aims and methodology of the EBP
2. compare the EBP methodology and outputs with a focused set of relevant UK and international approaches
3. assess the suitability of the methodology and scientific robustness for wider farm-level implementation across the United Kingdom
4. produce a technical report and submission ready scientific manuscript that communicates the findings transparently and accurately.

Scope and Approach

Describe and critically review the existing methodology

• describe clearly the EBP methodology developed and applied to date,

• review the rationale for the chosen approach using relevant peer-reviewed scientific literature, recognised standards and other authoritative evidence
• use a rapid but documented evidence-assessment method including transparent search sources, search terms, selection criteria and an assessment of the strength and applicability of the evidence. The evidence synthesis should reference relevant peer-reviewed scientific publications and recognised measurement and reporting standards.
• assess technical and scientific robustness, consistency, transparency and reproducibility
• identify key assumptions, limitations, evidence gaps, uncertainties and areas requiring further clarification or development

Compare the methodology with other approaches

Identify and assess relevant baselining methodologies and outputs used elsewhere in the UK and internationally. The comparison will be completed in two stages:

• Stage1 longlist. Identify at least five and no more than ten relevant approaches and provide a concise description of each to AHDB, including the basis on which it may provide a useful comparison. Agree with AHDB which five to take forward to create a detailed shortlist.
• Stage 2 detailed shortlist, Provide detailed assessment of five approaches comprising a mix of UK and international comparators

Indicative UK approaches include the Defra Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme, National Soil Inventory, Soil Association Exchange, Fera LAND360, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Farm Health Check and the Northern Ireland Soil Nutrient Health Scheme. These examples are not mandatory or exhaustive.

Comparator selection should consider relevance to the AHDB purpose, scientific maturity, environmental coverage, farm-level applicability and potential lessons for implementation at scale.

Develop and apply a structured comparison matrix. The criteria below are indicative rather than exhaustive:

• purpose, scope and intended users
• farm relevance, clarity and actionability of outputs
• number of environmental domains covered and overall completeness (e.g. , GHG emissions, carbon stocks, water, biodiversity, soil and air quality)
• system boundaries
• balance between measured, remotely sensed and modelled information
• sampling design
• indicators, metrics and units of measurement
• data sources, data availability and data-quality requirements
• assumptions and calculation methods and use of default factors
• uncertainties and constraints
• geographical relevance
• potential for consistent application at scale.

Identify any additional comparison criteria that you consider important, explain their relevance and propose how the criteria should be prioritised within the available budget and timetable.

Focus the analysis on those criteria most pertinent to assessing the technical credibility, practical application and potential wider implementation of the methodology. The final comparison matrix will be agreed with AHDB.

Where a full comparison is constrained by limited publicly available information, intellectual-property rights, proprietary calculation methods or commercial confidentiality, the bidder should clearly identify the limitation and explain its implications for the assessment.

Assess suitability for wider implementation

• Assess whether the baseline measurements are sufficiently robust, practical, transparent and value for money to support wider or national implementation
• Assess whether the outputs from the baseline measurements are likely to help farmers identify and prioritise actions for environmental performance and farm-business resilience and whether those outputs are also useful to the supply chain, Government and other actors.
• Identify any actions, additional evidence, testing or governance arrangements that would be required to give farmer relevant information to action change if wider implementation was to happen.

• Provide prioritised recommendations, distinguishing essential changes to the protocols before re-measurement and/or wider implementation.

• The role of re-measurement as a means to measure change at field/farm and national level

Expected approach and scope limits

Propose your own detailed approach, but the commission is expected to include:

• A review of the draft EBP protocol
• a small number of interviews with the AHDB project team, preferably online
• development of the comparator longlist
• desk-based review of five agreed comparators
• preparation of a structured comparison matrix
• preparation and revision of the required reports in an AHDB template and publication manuscript
• Presentation to the Scientific & Technical Advisory board of the EBP

Final project reports will be required. Further information and templates for these reports can be found at https://ahdb.org.uk/research-funding.

Project Duration, Budget, and Collaboration

Project duration and commencement

The project duration will be 15 weeks. The earliest date of commencement for work funded as a result of this call will be 18 January 2027.  A project initiation meeting will be held at the start of the contract. Further progress meetings will be held fortnightly, all online.

Budget

AHDB has set aside a maximum total budget of £30k, inclusive of VAT (£25k exclusive of VAT) for a 15 week project.

No travel is assumed. Any travel proposed must be justified, included within the budget and agreed in advance. Journal article-processing or open-access publication chargers are excluded and, if required, will be considered separately by AHDB.

Provide a transparent budget by task, staff member or grade, day rate, number of days and deliverables. This should show how effort will be prioritised across the methodology appraisal, comparator assessment, technical report and manuscript.

Structure/format of submission

Applicants should complete AHDB Research and KE Application Form - Full Proposal Small referring to the guidance notes to aid completion. Section 1.7 through to 1.10 and Section 2 do not need to be completed. Completed application forms should be submitted to research@ahdb.org.uk no later than 12:00 on 4 November 2026.

As this commission requires an independent review, applicants must provide a declaration of any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest that could reasonably be considered relevant to the work.

On submitting a proposal, please ensure you have read and accepted our terms and conditions, these are available on our website here under the “Standard agreements” heading. Any organisation receiving funding from AHDB shall comply with the terms and conditions specified in the Research Funding Agreement. AHDB will not be held responsible for any expenses or losses incurred by applicants in the preparation of an application(s).

AHDB reserves the right to not proceed with any application or, if appropriate, to request applicants to form a consortium to work together to deliver a programme of activities.

An evaluation panel will assess submissions in line with the scoring criteria and weightings in section 9 to decide the best outcome for this research project.

Evaluation and award of contract

All submitted proposals will be reviewed by relevant representatives within AHDB, and the respective Research and Knowledge Exchange Committees. If required, external peer reviewers may be sought. The selection will be an open and fair competition according to AHDB’s procurement policy, which complies with EU state aid rules. Evaluation of proposals will be on evidence provided against the criteria found in the Full Proposal (Small) Application form

Proposal submissions

Quotes must be received by noon on 4 November 2025 and submitted to research@ahdb.org.uk quoting 'Review of the AHDB EBP (P2608386)' in the subject line. 

Submissions will remain unopened until after the closing date and time has passed.

Timetable

Please note these timescales are approximate and may change.

A project initiation meeting will be held between the successful bidder and the project funders at the commencement of the contract. Additional meetings will be held as required for progress updates.

Terms/conditions of participation

Research and ke funding | AHDB terms and conditions shall apply to any contract awarded as a result of this request for quote.

If you have specific questions relating to this call, please email research@ahdb.org.uk. All Questions & Answers will be published.

As part of the open tender process, AHDB cannot discuss specific programme details prior to proposal submission.

If you have any questions relating to this tender, please contact research@ahdb.org.uk with the subject line 'Review of the AHDB EBP - QUESTION'