The version 7 of the ESCA guidelines is now available : link
This update provides further clarification on the soil analysis methodology to be applied in the field, particularly regarding analysis dates, areas to be considered, sampling, and soil density measurements.
Below are the main clarifications included in the version 7 of the guidelines, the details of which are discussed in this document.
I. Clarifications on Soil Analysis Dates
a) Soil analyses used to determine the CSA—that is, the carbon stock associated with the improved agricultural management practices—must be conducted no later than December 31 of the analysis year (i.e., no more than 5 years after the CSR, or reference carbon stock).
b) For farmers under case n°2, the CSR (reference carbon stock) can be determined in several ways:
Option 1: An individual soil analysis conducted between three and one year prior to the commitment year, in accordance with the sampling protocol as set forth in Implementing Regulation 2022/996, if the analysis was conducted after January 1st, 2024.
Option 2: Measurement from a neighboring field or other fields with similar climatic and soil conditions as well as a similar management history, if analyses are available for the period between three and one year prior to the year of commitment. If the soil analysis was conducted after January 1st, 2024, the sampling protocol must comply with Implementing Regulation 2022/996. If there is no data available for a neighboring field, a first measurement must be made immediately, at the time of commitment.
II. Details on the areas to be considered for soil analyses
a) For farmers under the grandfathering clause (case n°1), the soil analyses used to determine the CSA for the first 5-year cycle must take into account the hectares included in the ESCA program during the years 2023 and 2026.
b) The area used to calculate the CSR (cases n°2 and n°3) must be representative of the farm and may correspond either to all of the farm’s sustainable plots or, when this information is available, to the surface mobilized under the ESCA program. This choice must be maintained for the entire duration of the commitment.
c) For actual CSA soil analyses, the analyses must be conducted on plots that have had at least one ESCA claim recorded between the year of commitment and January 1st of the fifth year following the CSR date. For plots with a claim in the fifth year, they must be analyzed for the following cycle.
III. Calculation of Soil Analyses
a) Regarding the use of a historical CSR soil analysis, in case n°2, it must be able to verify the carbon content for the purpose of calculating the carbon stock.
In addition, a historical soil density value may be used if it is derived from a physical analysis (e.g., cylinder method, also known as tapping method) and if the date of that analysis is after the date on which good agricultural practices were implemented.
When the cylinder method is not possible, other robust and recognized methods, as alternatives to the cylinder method, are accepted; they are listed in the section « Determination of dry bulk density » of the guidelines.
b) Clarifications have been provided regarding the calculation of soil carbon stock.
c) Clarifications have been provided regarding reliable methods for measuring bulk density if the cylinder method is not possible. The conditions and reliable methods are specified in the section « Determination of dry bulk density ».
IV. Use of Modeled and Corrected Values
a) The version 7 of the guidelines provides further details regarding the cases, when modeled values are used (prior to the first CSA soil analyses), and when corrected values are used (values based on the first actual CSA soil analyses).
b) To illustrate more clearly the key aspects of the ESCA approach, the graphs illustrating the timeline applicable for cases 1, 2, and 3 have been revised.
V. Details on Soil Sampling Timelines
As a reminder, soil samples are collected either in the spring before soil cultivation and fertilization, or in autumn, a minimum of 2 months after harvest.
The version 7 of the esca guidelines provides clarifications on soil sampling timeline describing the conditions when it is also possible to take samples at least two months after the application of organic products, the incorporation of harvest residues, the destruction or incorporation of an intercrop cover.