271 new low-carbon livestock farms join, bringing the total to 851 certified farms.

The Korea Animal Products Quality Evaluation Institute (President Park Su-jin) completed the review of farms hoping for 2026 low-carbon livestock product certification on October 15 and certified a total of 271 farms.

The ‘Low-Carbon Livestock Product Certification System’ is a program operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Animal Products Quality Evaluation Institute. It certifies farms that have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 10% compared to the average emissions per livestock type by applying carbon reduction technologies during the livestock rearing process. Consumers can identify livestock products produced at certified farms through the low-carbon certification mark.

This year, applications for new low-carbon certification were accepted from Hanwoo (castrated), pig, and dairy farms, and greenhouse gas emission assessment reports and on-site inspections were conducted until September. Following a final review, certification was completed for a total of 271 farms.

In addition, the Korea Animal Products Quality Evaluation Institute plans to conduct evaluations on 98 farms that applied through new recruitment in the second half of the year, as well as 44 Hanwoo farms whose certification period (3 years) has expired since their initial certification in 2023. These farms are scheduled to receive final certification at the end of November after being evaluated according to certification standards that relaxed eligibility criteria based on feedback from the field last August.

Park Su-jin, President of the Korea Animal Products Quality Evaluation Institute, said, “I thank the farmers for their hard work in participating in the low-carbon livestock product certification despite difficult circumstances,” adding, “We will continue to improve the certification system by reflecting feedback from the field and expand the number of participating farms to contribute to greenhouse gas reduction in the livestock sector and valuable choices for consumers.” Meanwhile, including this new certification, the total number of farms certified for low-carbon livestock products to date is 851, consisting of 177 Hanwoo farms, 439 pig farms, and 235 dairy farms.