Two Circulars on MRV for the Livestock Sector Came into Effect in Early 2025
In December 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) promulgated two circulars that provide technical guidance and cost-norm for the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) in the livestock sector. The regulations become valid in early 2025.
MRV (Measurement, reporting and verification) is a comprehensive process that involves calculating the reduction of GHG emissions from a specific mitigation activity, such as combating deforestation and forest degradation over time, verifying and certifying results.
According to Decree 06/2022/ND-CP, MARD is assigned to design procedures and technical requirements for MRV for sectors it’s responsible for in the NDC context, meaning Agriculture and Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF), prepare and submitt the results to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE). The issuance of MRV regulation for the livestock sector is essential not only to fulfil MARD’s responsibility but also to support Viet Nam in tracking its NDC implementation toward its net-zero commitment by 2050 and take decisions on future mitigation options.
MARD has promulgated two circulars on theMRV in the livestock sector, including Circular 19/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated 3rd December 2024 on technical regulations on MRV and GHG inventory for the livestock sector, followed by Circular 26/2024/TT-BNNPTNT dated 16th December 2024 on technical-economic cost-norms for MRV and GHG inventory for the livestock sector. The documents came into effect as of 25th January and 6th February 2025 respectively.
Circular 19/2024/TT-BNNPTNT provides guidance for procedures for the livestock GHG inventory at both facility and sectoral levels. The selection of emission factor follows MONRE’s list of emission factors or if unavailable, the IPCC guidelines. The inventory methodology adheres to the 2006 IPCC guidelines and the 2019 refinement. Regarding MRV, the circular also defines procedures for both facility and sectoral levels. The guidance for MRV includes the key emission sources of food digestion, management of animal waste, energy and electricity use, refrigerant equipment, and production and trading processes.
Circular 26/2024/TT-BNNPTNT provides technical-economic cost-norms for the MRV and GHG inventory at facility and/or sectoral levels, which include labour days for each step, office facilities and stationaries, and energy use.
The Department of Livestock (DLP) at MARD, along with provincial Departments of Agriculture and Rural Developments (DARDs) and Departments of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE), are the key actors responsible for these activities. This process will also require the participation of facilities at local levels.
To support livestock facilities and farmers further and provide them with knowledge on mitigation, a technical guideline on using rice straw and other crop by-products to improve traditional diet and waste management in beef farms for GHG emission reductions and circular economy was developed by the IKI funded project “Support to Vietnam for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement Project” (VN-SIPA) in cooperation with DLP. The guideline is available in both Vietnamese and English.