THE county is spearheading a carbon trading scheme that combats greenhouse gases and could ease the financial pressures on British farmers.

It follows a link-up between Hadlow College, which specialises in education for the land-based sector, and the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) in the United States.

Hadlow signed up as a registered member of the scheme that aims to reduce emissions by six per cent. Big name members include Ford Motor Company, Dow Corning, Dupont and the Bayer Corporation.

They agree to cut emissions of greenhouse gases and to pay for the offset of any emissions above an agreed baseline.

It is like a stock exchange for pollution, providing a market that enables businesses to trade on the release and capture of carbon emissions.

Farmers and landowners can earn credits because trees and grassland remove - or capture - carbon dioxide from the air. They will receive cash linked to the number of credits they gain. Members are thrown out if they cannot demonstrate annual reductions.

Hadlow’s involvement stems from a visit to the CCX by finance director Mark Lumsdon-Taylor. He says the scheme has already cut American’s acid rain.

Hadlow, the UK’s scheme manager, will be able to register selected British companies and farms under carbon offset projects for woodlands and grasslands.

Mr Lumsdon-Taylor said: "We are starting in Kent and rolling it out nationally", adding that more than 10,000 hectares of land were already under the scheme.

He says it will boost the rural economy and benefit the college and its students. "We chose to do it because we gan gain practical expertise and understanding. It provides a tool for teaching and learning in the curriculum and everything the college does."

It was not about making a quick buck but showed "the human face of capitalism", generating extra revenue by "doing your bit for the environment in a long, short and medium term sustainable way".

The CCX management team are Mr Lumsdon-Taylor, scheme director, Zoe Fermer, business development co-orindator, and sustainability champion Dr Howard Lee.