The carbon credit market is still an open construction site and Italy risks a strategic delay that penalises agricultural enterprises. This is the warning issued by the’Hon. Maria Chiara Gadda, on the sidelines of the discussion in the Agriculture Commission of his question on the carbon farming.
Despite the fact that the public carbon credit registry was established by law in 2023, its full operationalisation still seems far off. «The government must make a step change,» said Mr Gadda. 'Without full operation and clear guidelines, the risk is that our agricultural system will lose the opportunity to receive fair remuneration for the contribution the sector can make to sustainable transition.
Forest registry: not operational until March 2026
Although the guidelines for the forestry section were approved on 15 October 2025 , the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (Masaf) confirmed that the register is not yet active.
According to the government, the start-up is subject to the completion of the IT platform within the SIAN and the definition of the certification scheme with Accredia. The new deadline is set for March 2026. «There is no substantial progress,» Gadda contests, 'the register is not operational even for the forestry part and I ask Masaf for more determination.
Uncertainties on the agricultural section
Even more complex appears to be the situation for the agricultural sector. At the moment, this section is still at the “technical-administrative investigation” stage. The Ministry's objective is to integrate the register with already existing tools, such as the “quaderno di campagna” managed by AGEA, to avoid new bureaucratic burdens on farmers.
However, Mr Gadda underlines the distance between promises and reality: «On the agricultural component we are light years away from identifying shared criteria for measurement and reporting. The Italian agricultural world cannot afford to miss this appointment».
European Coordination
The Ministry specified that the implementation path is fully consistent with the EU regulatory framework, in particular with Regulation (EU) 2025/2358 adopted at the end of November 2025, which defines the technical standards on certification and audit systems.
For the government, the development of a robust national market remains a strategic objective to enhance climate mitigation and generate new income opportunities. A vision shared by the opposition, which, however, is pressing for an immediate acceleration: «Businesses need tools that are accessible in an orderly manner in order to become market players,» Gadda concludes, 'we cannot wait any longer.
