16Baseline reference date and emissions intensity reference period

16 Baseline reference date and emissions intensity reference period

The baseline reference date for a herd

(1) For the purposes of this section, the project proponent must set for each herd a date, within the period of 12 months before the date of the relevant application, to be the baseline reference date for the herd.

Note: The baseline reference date should be set in accordance with the business-as-usual history of mustering and weighing of the herd so that the data required for this section is obtainable in accordance with section 27. For most herds, it is likely to be the same day of the year as the assessment day.

Full data herd

(2) A herd is a full data herd if, the herd has a period of a whole number of years:

(a) that ended on the baseline reference date for the herd; and

(b) consisted of no more than 7 years; and

(c) for each year of which the project proponent has the data necessary to calculate the liveweight gain of the herd in accordance with section 26; and

(d) that included the 3 most recent years preceding the baseline reference date, and no other years, for which the liveweight gain of the herd was greater than zero.

Note: If there was liveweight gain in each of the 3 years leading up to the baseline reference date, this will constitute the period for this subsection. However, for each year in which there was no liveweight gain, the period can be extended back to include a year in which there was liveweight gain, up to a maximum of 7 years.

Limited data herd

(3) A herd is a limited data herd if:

(a) it is not a full data herd; and

(b) it has a period of a whole number of years:

(i) that ended on the baseline reference date for the herd; and
(ii) consisted of no more than 7 years; and
(iii) for each year of which the project proponent has the data necessary to calculate the liveweight gain of the herd in accordance with section 26; and
(iv) that included the 2 most recent years preceding the baseline reference date, and no other years, for which the liveweight gain of the herd was greater than zero.

Note: If there was liveweight gain in each of the 2 years leading up to the baseline reference date, this will constitute the period for this subsection. However, for each year in which there was no liveweight gain, the period can be extended back to include a year in which there was liveweight gain, up to a maximum of 7 years.

The effect of paragraph (a) is that a herd that had 3 years of liveweight gain within the 7 years before the baseline reference date must enter that project as a full data herd.

Emissions intensity reference period