Key Takeaways:
- La Caisse commits AU$200 million alongside AU$50 million from CEFC to create Meldora.
- Gunn Agri Partners will manage the new platform focused on sustainable agriculture and carbon credits.
- Meldora’s first acquisition is a 15,000-hectare farm in Central Queensland.
- Rio Tinto has signed as a foundation offtaker for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
- The initiative integrates farming productivity with environmental restoration and biodiversity.
La Caisse Invests in Meldora with CEFC Support
La Caisse has joined forces with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to launch Meldora, a large-scale, diversified agricultural platform valued at AU$250 million. The new venture is managed by Gunn Agri Partners and combines sustainable farming practices with carbon credit generation under Australia’s Environmental Plantings methodology.
The platform’s first investment is a broadacre and irrigation farm in Central Queensland, where native vegetation will be restored to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units. Rio Tinto has entered as a foundation offtaker for part of the ACCUs to be produced.
Strategic Goals of La Caisse Investment
La Caisse stated the initiative aligns with its commitment to sustainable land use and its broader net-zero ambitions. By supporting the integration of agricultural production with environmental plantings, the platform aims to deliver both economic value and biodiversity benefits.
Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure and Sustainability at La Caisse, said: “This investment is a timely step toward advancing resilient, climate-smart agriculture in Australia, while delivering measurable environmental and economic value. Teaming up once again with the CEFC and GAP – and with Rio Tinto as a foundation offtaker – reinforces our confidence in this platform’s ability to scale.”
Global Interest in Sustainable Agriculture and Carbon Credits
La Caisse’s investment reflects a broader global trend of increasing interest in carbon farming and agricultural sustainability as asset classes. By adopting long-term land restoration methods, such as Environmental Plantings, Meldora will generate high-integrity carbon credits while improving soil health and ecosystems.
Gunn Agri Partners’ Joint Managing Director Bradley Wheaton described Meldora as “uniquely ambitious” in integrating native vegetation restoration into institutional-scale agricultural investment, combining irrigation, dryland cropping, and carbon credit generation.
La Caisse Reinforces Role in Climate-Smart Growth
La Caisse’s partnership with CEFC and Gunn Agri Partners underscores its role in advancing nature-based climate solutions. The Environmental Plantings methodology provides a long-term framework for carbon sequestration and biodiversity, with some projects lasting 25 years and others extending up to a century.
Through Meldora, La Caisse is positioning itself at the forefront of a growing global market for high-quality carbon credits, while supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
