The Clean Energy Regulator recommends you draw up a plan for the monitoring, data collecting and record keeping required for an offsets report as specified in Part 5 of the method. The means of collecting and recording data will need to be in place from the start of the project. Should an offsets report and associated audit show that data collecting and record keeping has not been in place for the entire reporting period, ACCUs may not be issued for some or all of that reporting period.
When developing your plan, make sure you have the right controls and processes around your data. Are you collecting your data efficiently? Will you be able to maintain your data in the event of an emergency such as a fire?
Record keeping
An irrigated cotton project requires you to keep records of the version of the myBMP standard that applies to your management actions, and the name, amount and nitrogen content of each nitrogen fertiliser product purchased (Section 23).
For other record keeping requirements, refer to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015.
Monitoring
The monitoring requirements for irrigated cotton projects are described in Sections 24 to 28 of the method. You must monitor the:
- cotton area, seed planting density and irrigation status in each field in the cotton area
- lint yield for each field in the cotton area
- amount and nitrogen content of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser used in the cotton area
- area and planting density of green manure crops planted prior to the cotton crop.