U.S. Dairy Lobbies to Weaken Carbon Accounting Rules

Trade bodies representing major U.S. dairy producers are pushing to dilute international emissions-accounting standards in a way that could enable double-counting of carbon reductions, according to DeSmog.

Documents obtained by the climate watchdog show that groups like the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, the National Milk Producers Federation, and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) are calling for changes to the GHG Protocol that would let both farmers and processors count the same emissions cuts—while also selling carbon credits to polluting companies.

If adopted, the proposed changes could inflate climate claims: companies could report reductions on their own targets and benefit financially from selling carbon offsets.

Critics warn that this would undermine the integrity of global carbon markets, allowing dairy firms to claim credit twice.

At the same time, the dairy sector is lobbying for leniency in accounting rules around land-use change, particularly in how emissions from deforestation are counted.
The push is part of a broader effort by the industry to influence the once-in-a-decade review of the GHG Protocol—and maintain business-as-usual while gaining access to lucrative carbon credit streams.

Source : Dairynews7x7 Nov 17th 2025 Read full story