The Complete Agricultural Sustainability Assessment Checklist

This checklist compiles the sustainability datapoints that appear across buyer ESG questionnaires, VSME requirements, farm assurance audits, and CSRD-driven supply chain requests. It is written specifically for agricultural operations—not adapted from a generic corporate template.

Not every item applies to every farm. A crop operation won't have livestock data. A pastoral farm won't have pesticide records. Work through the list, mark what you have, what you don't, and what doesn't apply. That gap analysis becomes your roadmap.

Environment

The datapoints buyers ask about most sit here: energy, emissions, land and soil, water, biodiversity, and waste. This is where the bulk of questionnaire questions land, and where good records make the biggest difference.

Energy and Emissions

• Diesel consumption (litres/year). Total farm diesel from fuel delivery records or accounts. Break down by field operations, transport, and heating if possible.
• Electricity consumption (kWh/year). From utility bills or meter readings. Note tariff type and whether you generate any renewable electricity on-farm (solar, wind).
• Other fuels. Gas oil, LPG, kerosene, natural gas, coal—annual quantities in litres, kg, or kWh as appropriate.
• Livestock by type and number. Annual average head count: dairy cows, beef cattle (breeding, finishing, calves), sheep (breeding ewes, lambs), pigs (sows, finishing), poultry (layers, broilers), goats, horses.
• Fertilizer—synthetic. For each product: product name, total kg applied, nitrogen content (%), total kg N applied annually. From spray logs and purchase invoices.
• Fertilizer—organic. Manure, slurry, digestate, compost: tonnes applied, estimated N content, application method.
• Scope 1 emissions calculation. Tonnes CO2e from diesel combustion, livestock enteric fermentation (methane), manure management (methane and N2O), fertilizer application (N2O), and any other direct sources. State methodology and emission factors used.
• Scope 2 emissions calculation. Tonnes CO2e from purchased electricity. State grid emission factor used and source.
• Scope 3 emissions (if available). Purchased feed, fertilizer manufacturing, seed, pesticide manufacturing, contracted transport. Note which categories are included and which are excluded.
• Emission intensity. Tonnes CO2e per tonne of product, per hectare, or per unit of output. Choose the metric most relevant to your buyers.

Land and Soil

• Total farm area (hectares). Including all owned and rented land.
• Land use breakdown. Arable (by crop), permanent pasture, temporary grass, rough grazing, woodland, orchards, environmental scheme areas, buildings/yards, other.
• Crop rotation. Describe your typical rotation cycle. Note any changes from previous years.
• Soil testing. Most recent results by field or block: pH, P (phosphorus), K (potassium), Mg (magnesium), organic matter (%). Date of last test. Frequency of testing.
• Soil organic carbon. If tested separately from organic matter. Method used (loss on ignition, Walkley-Black, etc.).
• Tillage practices. Conventional plough, min-till, direct drill, strip-till—hectares under each system.
• Cover crops. Hectares sown, species used, timing (autumn-sown, overwinter, spring-destroyed).
• Erosion management. Measures in place: contour farming, buffer strips, beetle banks, drainage management.

Water

• Total water consumption. Mains water from bills (m3 or litres). Borehole/river abstraction from meter or license.
• Irrigation. Hectares irrigated, volume applied (m3), crop types irrigated, irrigation method (overhead, drip, pivot), water source.
• Livestock water use. Estimated from head count and standard consumption rates if not separately metered.
• Water quality. Any water quality monitoring data. Compliance with abstraction license conditions. Membership of catchment management schemes.

Biodiversity

• Hedgerows. Approximate total length (km). Management regime (annually trimmed, rotationally managed, laid). Species composition if known.
• Ponds and watercourses. Number of ponds. Length of watercourses with buffer strips. Condition and management.
• Field margins and buffer strips. Total area (hectares) or length (km). Width. Management (annually cut, left fallow, wildflower mix).
• Environmental stewardship participation. Scheme name, agreement reference, key measures included, start and end dates.
• Pesticide use. Total active ingredient applied (kg). Number of different products used. Use of integrated pest management (IPM) approaches. Reduction targets if any.
• Habitat features. Woodland area, mature trees (approximate count), nesting sites, wildlife corridors, wetland areas, species-rich grassland.
• Biodiversity monitoring. Any species surveys, bird counts, pollinator monitoring, or baseline assessments conducted. Date and findings.

Waste

• Farm plastics. Estimated tonnes of silage wrap, fertilizer bags, crop covers, bale wrap. Recycling arrangements (collection scheme membership).
• General recycling. Participation in recycling for cardboard, metal, tyres.
• Organic waste. Manure and slurry management method. Green waste composting. Anaerobic digestion if applicable.
• Hazardous waste. Waste oil disposal route. Agrochemical container management (triple-rinsed, returned to scheme). Battery disposal. Veterinary waste disposal.

Social

How you look after the people who work your land. Workforce numbers, health and safety, and training evidence are increasingly requested, especially where seasonal or migrant labour is involved.

Workforce

• Permanent staff. Full-time and part-time headcount. Roles (farm manager, tractor operator, stockperson, etc.).
• Seasonal workers. Peak number employed, duration of employment (weeks/months), source (direct hire, agency, gangmaster). Nationality breakdown if requested.
• Family workers. Number of family members working on-farm, whether paid or unpaid, hours contributed.
• Working hours during peak seasons. Average and maximum weekly hours during harvest, lambing, calving, or other peak periods.
• Seasonal worker accommodation. If provided: type (on-farm, arranged off-farm), condition, inspection regime.
• Wages. Compliance with national minimum/living wage. Overtime arrangements. Payment method and frequency.

Health and Safety

• Risk assessments. Documented risk assessments for key activities: machinery operation, livestock handling, working at height, chemical handling, lone working.
• Incident record. Lost-time injuries in the reporting period. Near-misses reported. RIDDOR-reportable events. Fatalities.
• Machinery safety. Guarding compliance, PTO safety, roll-over protection. Maintenance and inspection records.
• Chemical exposure management. COSHH assessments for pesticides, veterinary medicines, cleaning chemicals. PPE provision and use. Exposure monitoring if applicable.
• Lone worker policy. Procedures for workers operating alone, especially during high-risk activities.
• PPE. Types provided (hearing protection, eye protection, respiratory equipment, chemical-resistant clothing). Replacement schedule.

Training and Development

• Sprayer certification. PA1, PA2, PA6 (or national equivalent). Holder names and expiry dates.
• Chainsaw competence. CS30, CS31, CS38 (or equivalent). Holder names and expiry.
• First aid. Number of trained first aiders. Certificate dates and renewal schedule.
• Livestock handling. Formal training in animal handling, particularly for cattle. Awareness of livestock-related accident risks.
• Machinery competence. Telehandler, forklift, all-terrain vehicle training. Holder names and dates.
• Food hygiene. Relevant for operations involved in packing, processing, or direct sales.
• Sustainability/ESG training. Any staff training on environmental management, carbon awareness, or sustainability practices.

Governance

The policies, certifications, and documentation that show your practices are managed rather than incidental. This is what lets a buyer verify a claim instead of taking it on trust.

Certifications and Assurance

• Farm assurance. Red Tractor, QMS, FAWL, Bord Bia, or equivalent. Membership number, valid until date, most recent audit date and outcome.
• LEAF Marque. If certified: registration number, valid until, audit date.
• Organic certification. Certifying body (Soil Association, OF&G, etc.), registration number, scope of certification, valid until.
• GlobalG.A.P. GGN number, certification scope, valid until.
• Food safety. SALSA, BRC, SQF, or retailer-specific schemes. Certification details and audit dates.
• Other relevant certifications. Carbon Trust, RSPO, Rainforest Alliance, retailer sustainability tiers, or any sector-specific schemes.

Policies and Documentation

• Environmental management plan. Documented plan covering emissions reduction, resource efficiency, biodiversity management. Date, review schedule, who is responsible.
• Health and safety policy. Written H&S policy (legally required above a certain staff threshold in most jurisdictions). Date and signatory.
• Worker welfare policy. Covering working conditions, fair treatment, grievance mechanisms. Particularly important for operations using seasonal or migrant labour.
• Chemical handling policy. Storage, application, disposal, emergency procedures for pesticides and veterinary medicines.
• Animal welfare policy. If livestock operation: housing standards, health management, transport, slaughter. Compliance with Five Freedoms or equivalent framework.
• Biosecurity plan. Disease prevention measures, visitor protocols, quarantine procedures, cleaning and disinfection schedules.
• Anti-slavery/modern slavery statement. Required for UK businesses above £36m turnover, but increasingly requested by buyers from all suppliers.
• Sustainability targets. Documented reduction targets for emissions, energy, water, waste. Base year, target year, progress to date.

How to Use This Checklist

This checklist is a diagnostic tool, not a to-do list that must be completed in full before you respond to a buyer. Here's how to use it effectively.

Step 1: Gap analysis. Work through every item. Mark each as: “Have it” (data exists and is accessible), “Can get it” (data exists but needs compiling), “Don't have it” (never tracked), or “Not applicable” (doesn't apply to your farm type).

Step 2: Prioritise by buyer demand. Which datapoints do your current and prospective buyers ask for most frequently? These are your highest priorities. Energy, emissions, and fertilizer data appear on virtually every questionnaire. Biodiversity and social data are growing in importance but may be less urgent.

Step 3: Organise centrally. Every item marked “Have it” or “Can get it” should be compiled into your Master Data File. One location, updated regularly, accessible when needed.

Step 4: Assign ownership. On a family farm, this might be one person. On a larger operation, different staff may be responsible for different data areas: the farm manager for environmental data, the office manager for social and governance data, the agronomist for soil and input data.

Step 5: Keep it current. A checklist is only useful if the data behind it is maintained. Tie updates to your farming calendar—monthly fuel records, seasonal spray logs, annual livestock reconciliation—so the system stays current without requiring a separate “ESG data collection” exercise.

The Stack 1 Foundation

This checklist is the practical expression of Stack 1—Core Metrics. It defines what you need to measure, where the data comes from, and how to organise it for use.

A farm that can work through this checklist and account for every item—whether with data, an estimate, a plan to collect, or a reasoned “not applicable”—has a defensible baseline. That baseline is the foundation for everything else: efficient response systems (Stack 2), competitive advantage (Stack 3), operational resilience (Stack 4), and long-term regenerative value (Stack 5).

Start where you are. Gather what you have. Document what you don't. Build from there. Every farm that takes sustainability reporting seriously began with exactly this exercise—and every one of them found they had more data than they expected.