Environmental Plantings Carbon Farming Loans

We are working with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to help reduce the upfront costs for farmers establishing new Environmental Plantings carbon farming projects (EP Projects).

Rabobank has secured a funding investment from the CEFC to support a discount of up to 1.15% on Environmental Plantings Carbon Farming Loans to help ease initial borrowing costs for eligible activities related to establishing a new EP project.

Environmental Plantings Carbon Farming Loans

• Loan interest rates discounted by up to 1.15% per annum for the first three years
• Loan funding for EP Project activities (subject to eligibility), such as:
  • Feasibility assessments
  • Site preparation, seedling costs, planting, and maintenance
  • Reporting and audit costs
  • Land acquisition for new EP Projects

What is an EP Project?

An Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU Scheme) EP Project involves planting and maintaining mixed native vegetation on land that has been clear of forest cover for the last five years. Examples of EP Projects include creating shelterbelts, planting to establish riparian zone buffers, or planting in block formations on less productive land.

EP projects are part of the ACCU scheme, with abatement estimates calculated using the Full Carbon Accounting Model (FullCAM).

Potential Benefits of EP Projects

While each EP Project is unique, benefits may include:

• Animal welfare: providing shade and shelter for livestock and protection during weaning 
• Soil protection: reducing wind erosion and enhancing pasture resilience
• Water quality: improving riparian zones and reducing runoff 
• Nature restoration: increasing biodiversity and expansion of habitat for native species
• Carbon sequestration: helping reduce net Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Generating Carbon Credits: One ACCU is generated for each tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2-e) stored in project trees over 25 years subject to meeting project obligations. These ACCUs may be held, sold to a third party to generate additional income, or retired to the Clean Energy Regulator to offset the farmer’s own emissions (known as insetting).