Farm Carbon Toolkit (FCT) is now an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT)—a significant move to secure our long-term independence, deepen staff involvement, and strengthen our commitment to farmers, sustainability, and shared leadership.
We remain a Community Interest Company (CIC), driven by the same not-for-profit principles and mission that have guided us from the start: to support farmers in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience. All income continues to be reinvested to maximise our impact and support the farming community.
What has changed is who owns the organisation. Ownership of FCT now sits with a Trust, on behalf of all our employees. This means the people delivering our work – from advisory services to carbon calculator development – now have a formal, meaningful stake in shaping the organisation’s future.
A milestone in a farmer-led journey
The Farm Carbon Toolkit was founded at Westmill Farm, Swindon, in 2010 by two farmers who were determined to address the threat of climate change and engage with fellow farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their farms. The organisation has since grown into a widely respected national leader in farmer-driven climate solutions.
Adam Twine, co-founder and sole share owner, has now transferred ownership to a newly created Employee Ownership Trust. This brings FCT into a wider community of organisations including John Lewis Partnership, Riverford, and Aardman animations–that seek to place staff directly at the centre of their governance structure.
Michael Brown, Staff Trustee Director and our Customer Support Officer, says:
“Our staff are a major resource and will be well known to many of you on farms and across the industry. Our new governance structure ensures their voices are heard and reflected in the long-term stewardship of the organisation on a formal basis.”
“We hope this will build even greater trust with the farming communities we serve. You can rely on us as an independent organisation, grounded in purpose, led with integrity, and driven by the collective commitment of its employees.”
Henry Unwin, Director Trustee and FCT Non-Executive Director, says:
“This is a significant moment for FCT. Moving to employee ownership not only honours the roots and history of the organisation but also recognises its greatest assets: the people who work here.”
Our values now and into the future
FCT is guided by five core operational values:
- Collaborative: we work with others to amplify our impact
- Practical: we offer real solutions grounded in farming realities
- Science-driven: we base everything we do on robust evidence
- Empathic: we listen and respond to the challenges farmers face
- Independent: we are not beholden to corporate or political interests
Notes for Editors
Farm Carbon Toolkit is an independent, farmer-led Community Interest Company, supporting farmers to measure, understand, and act on their greenhouse gas emissions, while improving their business resilience for the future.
For over a decade, Farm Carbon Toolkit has delivered a range of practical projects, tools and services that have inspired real action on the ground. Organisations they work with include Velcourt, Arla, the Duchy of Cornwall, First Milk, Tesco, and WWF.
In 2011, we created one of the first tools–the Farm Carbon Calculator–to audit GHG emissions on farm, and we were one of the first to include carbon removals (sequestration) as well as emissions within our audit process.
Today, the Farm Carbon Calculator is a leading on-farm carbon audit tool, with over 9,000 farmer users in the UK and beyond. To find out more visit www.farmcarbontoolkit.org.uk
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