A collaboration of research across University of Californa (UC) is underway to develop new tools to block microbes from creating methane in cattle.

The research led by Jennifer Doudna and Jill Banfield is using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), which selectively modifies the DNA of living organisms.

The $70 million research initiative backed by the TED Audacious Project, is entitled ‘Engineering the microbiome with CRISPR to Improve our Climate and Health’.

It involves a close collaboration across three UC campuses — the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC San Francisco.

Methane research

The project inspiration came from the results of feeding cows a specific type of red seaweed to decrease the expression of methane-producing genes in specific microbes in the cow’s gut, resulting in a dramatic drop in methane emissions.

Providing enough seaweed for daily consumption by the global cow population is a large task and the researchers stated that it would most likely “not work” for grazing cattle that make up the majority of livestock around the globe.

Early intervention with CRISPR, however, could result in a permanently low-methane cow and provide a treatment accessible to nearly every calf, according to the researchers.

Professor at the University of California Davis, Ermias Kebreab, who is a part of the team of academics said that the group’s first study working with red seaweed was done in dairy cattle within the Vivo area in South Africa, where a “substantial reduction” was seen.

IGI investigator, Matthias Hess said: “The ideal outcome of the project really would be that we could alter the microbiome in cattle really early in life, as a calf.

“Then that microbiome would remain stable and would produce very little if no methane at all”.

Project leaders

One of the project leaders, Doudna is best known for her work developing CRISPR genome editing, for which she received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.

“The precision tools we’re developing will help us understand how microbiomes work at the fundamental level. And we can leverage that knowledge to address problems caused by microbes,” Doudna said.

Second project leader, Banfield, studied microbial communities for decades and first introduced Doudna to CRISPR systems in bacteria, at a fortuitous meeting at a UC Berkeley café in 2006.

The post Research underway to block microbes from creating methane appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Birdwatch Ireland has issued a reminder for the ongoing ban on hedge cutting to be adhered to until the practice can resume in September.

Under the Wildlife Act, it is against the law to cut, burn or otherwise destroy vegetation including hedges between March 1 and August 31.

The purpose of this ban is to prevent the disturbance and destruction of nesting sites of many of our wild bird species.

Birdwatch Ireland has stated: “The annual ban on hedge-cutting applies to private gardens as much as it does to farms and the wider countryside.

“While some green-fingered folk may argue that, with a steady hand, they can leave a nest unshaken, the sheer act of getting that close to the hedge and nests within it could be enough for the adult birds to abandon it.

“Without their parents, the eggs and chicks in the nest have virtually no hope of survival. If they don’t succumb to starvation due to lack of food delivery by an adult bird, they are likely to be victims of predation,” the organisation added.

The Wildlife Act also prohibits the burning of vegetation during the nesting season.

This is aimed at protecting our ground-nesting bird species in upland habitats, many of which have seen their populations plummet in recent decades.

This includes species such as curlew, lapwing, skylark, meadow pipit and hen harrier.

Birdwatch Ireland clarified that the Wildlife Act does have exemptions which allow hedge-cutting during the closed period, for example, should there be road safety concerns.

However, the organisation urged those who witness hedge-cutting or burning in any place or at any time during this period, to report it to the local Gardaí and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).

 Forty-three prosecution cases were initiated by NPWS in 2023 for alleged breaches of wildlife legislation, a 39% increase since 2022.

Wildlife crimes reported range from the disturbance of bats, illegal hunting, damage to Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), destruction of hedgerows and burning of vegetation within the restricted period, and more. 

Birdwatch Ireland also issued a reminder that under the Wildlife Act, it is illegal to disturb and/or photograph nesting birds, without a specific licence from the NPWS required for “a person to take… video/pictures of a wild bird of a species… on or near a nest containing eggs or unflown young”. 

The conservation organisation has asked the public to wait until chicks have fledged and left the nest before they photograph them.

The post Hedge-cutting ban applies to gardens ‘as much as it does to farms’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reported that an estimated 53,000t of food waste was generated at the primary production (farming, fishing and aquaculture) stage in Ireland.

Horticulture accounted for the largest contributor at the primary production stage, due to “quality standards or lack of customer demand”.

The EPA Food Loss and Waste (FLW) report stated that the reduction of waste at primary production level can lead to greater accessibility of “fresh and nutritious produce” for consumers.

The EPA estimates that Ireland generated 750,000t of food loss in 2022. This equates to 146kg per person, which is above the EU average of 130kg.

In the EPA report, there was “relatively no change” in the total amount of waste recorded in 2022, compared to the 2021 total of 753,000t.

According to the EPA, the waste of food costs the average Irish household about €60/month or €700/yr. That is an annual national cost of €1.29 billion.

The organic waste bin roll-out to households has increased the composting and anaerobic digestion rate of waste. In 2022, 69% of Irish households who had a bin collection service had a brown bin.

The food and beverage manufacturing and processing sector in Ireland generated an estimated 230,000t (31%) of waste in 2022.

Waste from this sector includes foods unsuitable for consumption or processing, process wastes and some animal tissues which are disposed as waste.

However, a proportion of animal tissue and other wastes is processed into by-products such as pet food, animal feed and fertiliser, and are not counted as waste in the EPA statistics.

The Reducing Commercial Food Waste in Ireland report published in 2019 found that over 66% of wasted food is avoidable.

Restaurants and food services generated approximately 157,000t of waste (21% of total) in 2022. The annual cost to this sector is estimated to be in excess of €300 million.

The retail and distribution sector accounted for 90,000t in 2022 with vegetables being the most wasted food (20%), followed by fruit (16%), bread (15%) and meat (11%).

How to reduce food waste

In 2022, a National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap was published by the government with details of actions to take to reduce Ireland’s waste by 2030.

The EPA reported that consistent measurement of waste is the first step in prevention, as it provides support on prevention initiatives.

The EPA’s food waste prevention programme which is implemented through the Agency’s Circular Economy Programme aims to raise awareness of this problem.

After prevention, redistribution of food is the next preferred option and is an “important” way to avoid it becoming waste. In 2021, Food Cloud redistributed a total of 3,162t of food which supported 650 community groups.

Any waste that is “unavoidable”, such as, peels and bones should be separately collected, so that it can be treated by composting or anaerobic digestion, according to the report.

Ireland’s implementation of the special regulations since 2010 has contributed to an “upward trend” in the quantity of waste being separately collected and treated by composting/anaerobic digestion.

The EPA reported that there is “still room for improvement” and from the end of this year, the separate collection of bio-waste will be mandatory.

The post EPA: 53,000t of food waste generated at production stage appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A new Teagasc organic farming research project, Growing Resilient Organic Farming Systems (GROFarmS), is being undertaken to demonstrate to farmers efficient organic systems of production.

The project is in conjunction with University College Dublin (UCD) and it aims to address the current “research gaps” in organic farming.

The research will develop evidence on best practice technologies to support “profitable and sustainable organic” beef and lamb finishing systems, according to Teagasc.

A certified organic holding at Kildavin/Johnstown Castle in Co. Wexford will develop clear guidelines for “efficient and profitable” organic-beef finishing systems.

The conversion of the Kildavin farm to organic certification standards will be overseen by Johnstown Castle enterprise leader Dr. David Wall.

The beef finishing research will be led by Teagasc, Grange, Co. Meath and beef enterprise leader, Dr. Paul Crosson.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon met the GROFarmS team to hear the progress with the project and the plans to spread the information through organic specialists.  

Teagasc researcher and GROFarmS project leader, Kevin Kilcline said:

“The area of organic farming has more than trebled since 2020. There is a pressing need for scientific research on organic farming practices to support evidence-based best practice adoption.

“This project will provide new information on economic and environmental aspects of organic conversion and best practice adoption.”  

Organic sheep farming research

Research on sustainable organic lamb production will be conducted at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Athenry, Co. Galway led by sheep enterprise leader Dr. Philip Creighton.

They will be researching finishing options and management systems for organic hill and lowland lambs and will be conducting the research in collaboration with UCD.

According to Teagasc, this work will take into account effects on animal performance, environmental impact and economic returns.  

The Teagasc Rural Economy and Development Programme in Athenry will develop the Teagasc National Farm Survey to include a representative sample of organic farms.

The commercial organic farms will provide “in-depth socioeconomic and environmental sustainability data” to compare the performance of organic and conventional farms.

This research will be led by Teagasc rural development specialist, Dr. Mary Ryan and an organic farm recorder, Niall Stinger.

The post New project to demonstrate ‘resilient’ organic farming appeared first on Agriland.ie.

People have been “surprised by some of the speed at which agriculture is starting to reduce emissions,” the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Transport, Eamon Ryan has stated.

Minister Ryan told the Dáil that “a drop of some 30% in fertiliser use over the past two years” was “never modelled or expected by the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) but it has actually happened”.

However, the minister also warned that “we need to go further than that” as he outlined that transport and agriculture are the two sectors where Ireland faces “the greatest challenges” when it comes to reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

“The Climate Action Plan 2024 outlines a range of measures across key sectors to drive emissions reductions.

“In agriculture, key measures include reducing chemical nitrogen use, improving animal breeding for lower methane emissions and diversifying land use,” Minister Ryan added.

But he said the EPA’s current projections suggest that there will need to be “an acceleration in implementation” of the measures if Ireland is to achieve its targetted 51% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030.

LULUCF

Minister Ryan highlighted to the Dáil that the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector plays a crucial role in Ireland’s climate strategy, but it also “presents unique challenges”.

“Due to significant fluctuations in the baseline emissions and ongoing inventory refinements, the Climate Action Plan 2024 proposes a new approach for this sector.

“This includes setting ambitious activity targets, such as increasing afforestation rates to 8,000ha per year by 2030 and aligning with EU LULUCF regulations.

“This approach aims to provide a more stable framework for emissions reduction in this complex sector,” he added.

But overall according to the outgoing leader of the Green Party, “agriculture will have to go further and do more”.

Ryan 

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Transport also stressed that for some of the policy measures the government is planning there needs to be “back-up, financial commitment”.

“Anaerobic digestion is one example of an area that was not easy to model or expect to deliver, but we will deliver it.

“It is one of the ways people can actually diversify incomes in agriculture,” Minister Ryan added.

The post Ryan: EPA ‘never modelled or expected’ 30% drop in fertiliser use appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The government in New Zealand has unveiled members of an independent panel to review the science around methane emissions.

The government has stated that it “is delivering on its promise to commence an independent review of the methane science and targets for consistency with no additional warming from agriculture emissions”.

The announcement was made by climate change minister Simon Watts and agriculture minister Todd McClay.

Minister Watts said: “An independent panel announced today, will report back to the government by the end of the year, providing evidence-based advice on what our biogenic methane target should be to ensure no additional warming.

“Cabinet has approved five appointees to the independent ministerial advisory panel, including its chair, Nicola Shadbolt, who in addition to being a former climate change commissioner, is a respected farmer, academic, and director with extensive governance experience.

“The panel’s members are highly-regarded, climate and atmospheric scientists with extensive domestic and international experience on climate change and biogenic methane.”

Review of methane science

Minister McClay said the panel’s report will complement the Climate Change Commission’s review of the 2050 targets this year and will inform the government’s response to the commission’s advice in 2025.

Minister McClay added: “The government is committed to meeting our climate change obligations without shutting down Kiwi farms. We need to make sure our targets are fair and sustainable.

“New Zealand farmers are some of the world’s most carbon-efficient food producers. It doesn’t make sense to send jobs and production overseas, while less carbon-efficient countries produce the food the world needs.

“To ensure efforts to cut emissions do not drive a drop in our agricultural production, the government is investing more than $400 million over the next four years.”

McClay said the investment will accelerate the availability of tools and technology to reduce on-farm emissions.

It includes an extra $50.5 million over the next five years to scale up investment in the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre.

“The upcoming consultation on the second emissions reduction plan will also cover plans to support the sector to reduce agricultural emissions in more detail,” Minister McClay continued.

“A strong New Zealand’s economy relies on a strong agricultural sector working sustainably towards our climate change goals.”

New Zealand

Earlier this month the New Zealand government set to deliver on its election commitment to take agriculture out of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS).

The NZ ETS is a tool for meeting domestic and international climate change targets, and it requires businesses to measure and report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

However, the recent announcement means that agriculture will now be excluded from the scheme.

The amendment will remove agriculture, animal processors and fertiliser companies from the ETS before January 1, 2025.

The post New Zealand reveals independent panel to review methane science appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage, and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan has launched a public consultation aimed at overhauling Ireland’s wildlife legislation.

The initiative marks the beginning of a comprehensive review encompassing key statutes such as the Wildlife Act 1976, the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, and the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011.

Minister Noonan has highlighted what he feels is the importance of modernising existing laws to enhance the protection of Ireland’s diverse natural heritage.

“We are all stakeholders when it comes to wildlife legislation,” he said.

“This consultation marks a crucial step in our efforts to enhance the legal framework safeguarding Ireland’s unique biodiversity.

“It’s imperative that we update our laws to better protect our natural habitats and species.”

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) under the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage will spearhead the consultation process.

The review aims not only to strengthen protections for birds, certain wild animals, and designated habitats, but also to streamline enforcement mechanisms and align with EU directives more effectively.

Wildlife legislation

Director general of NPWS, Niall Ó’Donnchú added: “NPWS is committed to engaging with the public over the course of the review.

“We are dedicated to ensuring that Ireland’s natural heritage is protected for future generations.”

Public input during this phase will inform subsequent legislative developments, with anticipated publications of new wildlife bills and statutory instruments.

The initial focus will prioritise enhancing enforcement against wildlife crime, setting a precedent for future phases of the legislative update, according to the minister.

Interested parties can participate in the online consultation until September 13 by submitting feedback on priorities for new legislation, identifying areas for improvement, and proposing measures to strengthen existing protections.

The post Public views being sought on wildlife legislation appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Farmers have the ability to create carbon sinks with livestock by employing a system known as Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) grazing according to research that features in a documentary released today (Wednesday, June 26).

The ‘Roots So Deep’ documentary, followed the lives of farmers on 10 farms across Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, and saw a team of 20 scientists from seven universities compare the impact of AMP with conventional style grazing.

The docu-series examined if different types of grazing methods could help “depleted” soils, rebuild wildlife habitat, remove carbon from the atmosphere and help farmers get out of debt.

The researchers also measured what was happening on all the farms to see if AMP grazing could possibly slow down climate change, by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.

The director of ‘Roots so Deep’ Peter Byck, professor of Practice at the School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, wanted to primarily find out if AMP grazing is better for the land and if “old school” farmers could change their ways?

It took the team five years to design and fundraise for the research project, and they took to the fields in spring 2018, according to director of the documentary.

The oil and gas company, Shell had previously provided funding for the University of Exeter to install towers that measure CO2 going in and out of the soil. This benefitted the research by Byck and the science team.

McDonalds funded $4.5 million as a matching grant. Of the $4.5 million, $3.75 million went into the research in the south-east of America.

The remaining $750,000 was put towards the northern great plains, where the research team is replicating the same research, but in a different ecosystem.

Byck told Agriland what he set out to do:

“It was about finding individuals at these companies who believed in what we were trying to do, and have the same concern for climate change that we had.

“I want folks to be conscious of the farmer who grew that food, and a lot of times it is small farmers who grow a lot of the food that we eat.”

Byck had previously made a movie about solutions to climate change called ‘Carbon Nation’ and if poorly treated soils were a big part of the problem.

This movie sparked his interest in soil health and how it affects climate change, and Byck questioned if a certain type of grazing could “flip farms” from unhealthy to healthy.

‘Roots so Deep’ (you can see the devil down there) will be available for screening in Ireland and the UK from today.

The post Watch: How can grazing prevent further climate change? appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Government has today (Wednesday, June 26) published a new Long-term Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reductions strategy which outlines that “support for farmers and rural communities” will be required to transition to lower-emissions farming in Ireland.

The strategy aims to build on the targets, policies measures and actions which the Government has already committed to up to 2030 in a bid to achieve a “whole-of-society” reduction in GHG emissions of 51%.

As part of this objective the sector specific emissions ceiling for agriculture requires a 25% reduction in emissions by 2030.

According to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, the new strategy provides a “pathway” for sectors to reduce GHG emissions and ensures that the Government can put in place the “systems and infrastructure” to help Ireland hit its targets and avoid compliance costs.

“In everything we do over the coming decades, it is absolutely imperative we inform and bring people with us, from large-scale investors to small farmers.

“Achieving our National Climate Objective of climate neutrality will mean that Ireland will have no further negative impacts on the climate system by the mid-century,” Minister Ryan added.

GHG emissions

The strategy document highlights that agriculture was the “single largest contributor to overall emissions, at 38.5% in 2022”.

It also details a “pathway” to 2030 for the agriculture sector which adds to the key measures set out in the Climate Action Plan 2024 to reduce on-farm emissions which included changing nutrient use, feed modification, earlier finishing for cattle and different breeding practices.

The new Long-term Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reductions strategy also states that additional measures are required to achieve the 2030 target.

These include:

• Enabling a carbon farming framework;
• Exploring the potential for methane reducing feed additives for pasture-based solutions;
• Incentivising diversification across the sector.

The strategy also highlights that the Government is currently undertaking a “comprehensive” national Land Use Review, covering farmland, forests and peatlands, which will inform policy decisions.

It also plans to carry out diversification reviews for income and land use for farmers, including areas such biomethane and energy production, agro-forestry and woodland creation.

In addition to this the new Government strategy document cautions that the emissions reduction targets for the Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) sector are “set to become increasingly challenging, as the age profile of the forest stock matures and harvesting levels increase in line with projected forecasts”.

Agriculture

However it also points to the “unique capacity of the agriculture and forestry sectors to remove CO2 from the atmosphere”.

“While reducing emissions will bring challenges there will also be opportunities for farmers and their communities, including diversification of farm-based incomes, as well as delivery of further benefits in biodiversity, water and air quality” it outlines.

But the strategy document also clearly highlights that “support” for farmers and rural communities will be required in the transition to lower GHG emissions from farming in the future.

“Over the long-term, we will continue to build on our engagement with farmers and with the broader sector to help deliver our climate neutral goal,” the Government stated.

The post New strategy outlines ‘pathway’ to reducing agri-GHG emissions appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Two candidates have put their names forward to become the next leader of the Green Party as the deadline for declarations closed today (Tuesday, June 25).

Any Green Party member who received the support of 50 members was eligible to run and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth of Ireland, Roderic O’Gorman are the two candidates vying for the position.

Two hustings will take place before the vote. The first will be in-person and take place at the Samuel Beckett Theatre, Trinity College Dublin on Thursday, June 27 at 6:00p.m.

The second hustings will be online and held on Sunday, June 30 at 3:00p.m.

The voting for party leader will take place online from Thursday, July 4 to Sunday, July 7. The results will then be announced on Monday, July 8.

The party is also set to hold a deputy leadership contest after deputy leader, and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin stepped down.

Green Party leader

The contest to find a new leader of the Green Party arose after the surprise announcement by Eamon Ryan that he was stepping down from the role last week.

While stepping away from his former role, Ryan said he will continue to work on climate action, but “in a different way”.

“I cannot continue to work the long hours that being a public representative involves, which is why I am not standing again,” the minister said at the time.

He said he will remain working on increasing safe bike links in every town and city in Ireland.

Aside from that, Minister Ryan said he will continue to support the future success of the party through addressing the ecological crisis; insuring social justice; engaging in peaceful politics; and trusting the people to make the right decision in the end.

The post Two candidates for Green Party leader position appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Uisce Éireann has confirmed to Agriland that 500 landowners will be impacted by a proposed 170km pipeline to bring water from the River Shannon to Dublin.

The pipeline is one of the three elements in the Water Supply Project Eastern and Midlands Region, one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of the State.

The project today (Tuesday, June 25) received Cabinet approval in principle under the infrastructure guidelines, meaning that it can now proceed to planning.

With a current estimated cost of up to €6 billion, the proposed development will have the capacity to ensure secure water supplies for up to 50% of the country’s population.

River Shannon

At present, Uisce Éireann takes about 40% of the average flow of the River Liffey to supply 85% of the water requirements for 1.7 million people in the greater Dublin area.

It said that this dependence on the Liffey results in a “serious vulnerability” to risks such as prolonged drought or contamination.

The Water Supply Project proposes to abstract 2% of the average flow of the River Shannon, at Parteen Basin, which the utility said is similar to “taking a teaspoon out of a pint glass of water”.

The water will be directed through a new water treatment plant to be built on 12ha at Birdhill, Co. Tipperary.

A 170km pipeline will then take the treated water through counties Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare to a termination point reservoir at Peamount in Dublin, where it will connect to the water network.

Along with providing water to Dublin; Meath; Kildare and Wicklow, Uisce Éireann said that a “treated water supply spine” would be created across the regions to serve towns on the route.

The utility noted that the project will not replace the current supply arrangement, but will support it.

Uisce Éireann chief executive Niall Gleeson said that the project is critical for the future of the country.

“By delivering a secure, climate-proof supply of water for up to 50% of the State’s population it will facilitate increased demand for housing, enable sustainable economic growth and support competitiveness across the region.

“Crucially it will also help us meet the challenges of climate change by diversifying our water supplies to ensure safe, resilient water services for communities across the region, and reduce the vulnerability to drought and other extreme weather events,” he said.

Uisce Éireann is hoping to submit a planning application for the project to An Bórd Pleanála in 2025, while construction is expected to take up to 5 years.

However, this timeframe could be impacted by any potential planning objections.

Uisce Éireann said that it is working to reduce leakage in the water network in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath to 20% by 2023.

It added that fixing leaks would not be sufficient to deal with “a growing water supply deficit” in the regions.

Landowners

Uisce Éireann has said that there has been “extensive” engagement with landowners and the public on the Water Supply Project.

The utility is planning a fifth round of consultation later this year to allow for further feedback on the project.

It said that a dedicated liaison team has engaged over 20 times with each of the 500 landowners to date.

Sean Laffey, director of asset management Uisce Éireann, told Agriland that about 90% of landowners on the route of the pipeline have granted access for survey works to be completed.

He said that if the project secures planning permission they may have to consider Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the remaining 10% of landowners.

However, he stressed that the preference of Uisce Éireann is to “go the voluntary route”.

The utility has also been working with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) on issues such as compensation and access on behalf of farmers.

During construction of the pipeline a 50m wide wayleave or corridor on the lands will be required, this will reduce to 25m upon completion.

Angela Ryan, asset strategy senior manager Uisce Éireann, said that “full agricultural use” of lands will be restored once works are completed.

“That 25m wide wayleave just means you can’t build immediate above the pipeline, but aside from that there’s no real impact to farmland,” she said.

The post 500 landowners to be impacted by Shannon to Dublin water pipe appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Bank of Ireland has launched a new partnership with Bandon, Drinagh and Lisavaird Co-ops to offer the Enviroflex loan package to its milk suppliers. 

Following the launch of Enviroflex last year, the sustainability-linked loans are now available to Bandon, Drinagh and Lisavaird co-op milk suppliers, who are actively engaged in implementing environmentally sustainable initiatives to reduce their farms’ environmental footprint under the Carbery FutureProof sustainability programme. 

The loans incorporate discounted flexible finance provided to farmers conducting milking parlour upgrades, installing wastewater and slurry storage facilities, and investing in renewable and solar technologies.  

Bank of Ireland partnership

Applicants must be Bandon, Drinagh and Lisavaird co-op milk suppliers and participants of the Carbery FutureProof sustainability programme.

Applicants also need to provide Bank of Ireland with the carbon footprint of their farm.  

Bank of Ireland has said that it has 82,000 farm customers on its books, and that this partnership furthers Bank of Ireland’s ambition of providing a range of sustainable finance products that are “carefully designed to help make real, impactful changes”.  

CEO of Carbery, Jason Hawkins said: “We know our farmer shareholders value sustainability and want to farm in a sustainable way – 85% of our suppliers taking up our FutureProof sustainability bonus in its first full year clearly proved that.

“However, some sustainability measures, like all improvements, require investment. With this in mind we welcome this Enviroflex scheme from Bank of Ireland, which rewards farmers who can demonstrate their sustainability credentials and ambitions.”  

Bank of Ireland, agri development manager, John Fitzgerald said: “Bank of Ireland is delighted to make the Enviroflex scheme available to Bandon, Drinagh and Lisavaird Co-op milk suppliers.

“Since first launching Enviroflex we have been delighted with the take-up of the sustainability-linked loans, and the options it provides farmers looking to improve cashflow and finance on-farm developments over a longer period.

“Our aim in developing Enviroflex has always been to make it available to as many farmers as possible across the Irish agriculture industry, and to reward farmers for their sustainability actions.” 

Bank of Ireland loans

The loan amount can range from a minimum of €10,000 to a maximum of €500,000.

Bank of Ireland has said that the interest rate is variable and is currently at a discounted market rate of 4.73% per annum, for those participating in the Carbery FutureProof sustainability programme. 

Typically, unsecured loans are available for up to €120,000 and there is a standard term of seven years. 

Earlier this month, Bank of Ireland announced that it was also teaming up with Sligo-based co-op, Aurivo to provide the sustainability loans.

Carbery FutureProof

Carbery’s FutureProof sustainability bonus is available again to all farmer shareholders who meet the qualifying criteria. The measures were chosen for their environmental impact.  

These are:

• Agreeing to an ASSAP (Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme) water quality assessment;
• Economic Breeding Index (EBI);
• Milk recording four times a year;
• Using protected urea.

The co-op has said that there was “excellent” uptake on the bonus in 2023, with 84% of suppliers and more than 90% of Carbery’s milk pool included in FutureProof 2023.  

The post Bank of Ireland teams up with Cork co-ops for new farmer loan appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A new initiative by the European Commission, the European Solar Academy, aims to address the skills and labour gap in the solar photovoltaic (PV) value chain by training 100,000 workers across the EU over the next three years.

With an estimated 66,000 skilled workers needed in the solar PV manufacturing sector by 2030, the academy’s role is crucial for meeting the EU’s renewable energy targets.

This is the first in a series of EU Academies to be set up under the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

The European Solar AAs the Solar Academy collaborates with local partners, including vocational and educational training (VET) providers, businesses, and universities, according to the European Commission.

This academy is the latest commission initiative supporting the EU’s efforts to reach its targets under the European Green Deal.

The European Commission commented on the implications this may have for Ireland:

“The academies develop learning programmes for voluntary use by any EU member states, so there is opportunities for Ireland.”

In July of last year, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue attended the launch of the Energy and Farm Diversification Show (formerly known as the Energy in Agriculture Show) at Gurteen College in Co. Tipperary.

The events focused on renewable and solar energy, with grants of 60% with an investment ceiling of €90,000 available for farmers interested in solar panels and storage.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, discussed the EU’s plans to reach net zero.

“The act [NZIA] creates the best conditions for those sectors that are crucial for us to reach net zero by 2050.

“Demand is growing in Europe and globally, and we are now equipped to meet more of this demand with European supply,” she said.

Targets

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has said previously that the agriculture sector can still meet its 25% greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target by 2030, despite suggestions by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the sector will fall short.

The EPA’s report, Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections, which was published on May 28, indicated that Ireland’s agriculture would reduce its emissions by 18% by 2030 in an “ambitious scenario”, with additional measures beyond policies currently in operation.

The post European Solar Academy to train 100,000 workers across the EU appeared first on Agriland.ie.

There are deep feelings of “sadness, anger, disbelief, fear and anxiety” over the Lough Neagh blue-green algae ecological crisis, according to a new report published today (Monday, June 24).

The report is based on a series of interviews conducted by researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, with local communities, including those involved in fishing and farming, who are most directly affected by the “environmental crisis” in Lough Neagh.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has previously stated that excess nutrients from agricultural activities and wastewater pressures are “primarily” to blame for the growth of the blue-green algae in Northern Ireland’s waters.

Many of the people interviewed by the Queen’s University research team for the report described Lough Neagh as a “natural resource” but also identified too much “nutrient” entering the lough as a key reason for the blue-green algae.

According to the report interviewees understood ‘nutrient’ to mean animal slurry or human waste.

Lough Neagh

The Queen’s University report also highlighted that many people around Lough Neagh have “strong links” to farming and while some blamed a “slurry-pollution problem” they were also reluctant to solely blame the algae crisis on farmers.

“We shouldn’t be demonising the farmer, we need the farmer on our side, they are part of our community,” one interviewee told researchers.

Other people who spoke to researchers also highlighted that most famers complied with environmental regulations.

But some blamed “intensive dairy and beef production” as a major reason for the issues currently affecting the lough.

Interviewees pointed to “slurry being spread right up to the edge of the lough and also entering the lough via sheuchs, streams and rivers”.

Other people who the researchers spoke to also raised the issue of climate change as another factor to be considered as a contributory cause of the blue-green algae crisis.

John Barry, Professor of Green Political Economy at Queen’s and one of the authors of the new report, said there is “a clear emotional dimension of people’s connection to and attachment to the lough”.

The research team from Queen’s also got a sense of “affection, reverence and deep concern” for Lough Neagh from the people they interviewed.

“One of the main findings of the report is the need for more research into the crisis, ecological, epidemiological and economic.

“It is also suggested that this research needs to be more collaborative, involving all members of the community and stakeholders, on the appropriate modes of governance and policy development needed for the restoration and ecologically sustainable management of the lough,” he added.

The post Report: Some people blame ‘slurry-pollution problem’ for Lough Neagh algae crisis appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A new planning application has been submitted to Wicklow County Council, detailing an open farm and tourism accommodation project at Millrace Holiday Park in Ballynacarrig, Brittas Bay.

Tanark PLC’s proposal aims to transform the 6.7ha site into a diverse farm tourism destination, integrating modern amenities.

The proposed development features an extensive open farm area, including a 50m² petting shed, animal pens, paddocks, play areas, and a garden.

These areas will be connected to both existing and proposed accommodations by a ‘Farm Link Trail’.

Additionally, an 88m² communal shelter will provide a space for picnics and barbecues, complemented by a guest amphitheatre.

The plan also includes several guest facilities clustered around the farmyard. An entry building of 44m² will house a farm shop, coffee dock, and reception.

A 100m² farm food building is also planned, featuring a kitchen, catering and self-catering areas, communal dining spaces, storage, and toilets.

12 subterranean ‘hobbit type’ glamping pods will be constructed, alongside the partial demolition and renovation of an existing farmhouse to create four holiday units.

This include a one-bed, another with two-beds, and a three-bed suite with a first floor balcony.

Four shepherd huts will be strategically placed around a pond, accessible via walkways.

To support these developments, the proposal outlines upgrades to the existing farm entrances on the L5605, including new walls, pillars, and security gates for vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Solar panels will be installed on buildings, and a permanent indigenous landscape buffer with a path to Potters River will be retained and enhanced.

Environmental sustainability is a key aspect of the plan, with a new 24PE (population equivalent) packaged effluent disposal system and connections to existing water and wastewater services, including an existing 160PE effluent disposal system.

The planning application includes an Appropriate Assessment Screening Report.

Wicklow County Council is expected to make a decision on the application by August 13, with public submissions accepted until July 23.

The post Open farm accommodation plan submitted to Wicklow CoCo appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The formal process to appoint a manager for the national deer management programme is due to get underway in the coming weeks.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed to Agriland that a tender is currently being prepared for the position.

The department added that the tender will also include the establishment of 15 local deer management units across the country.

Deer management

In December, the Irish Deer Management Strategy Group (IDMSG), which is chaired by Cork dairy farmer Teddy Cashman, published a report containing 15 actions to tackle ongoing issues with deer.

The appointment of a manager and the establishment of local management units in so-called “hot spots” for deer populations were among the recommendations in the report.

“These recommendations in particular are key to the implementation of the wider Deer Management Strategy report,” a DAFM spokesperson said.

They added that the tender is “expected to be launched in the coming weeks”.

Following a separate recommendation in the report, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) announced an extension to the open season for hunting deer in Ireland.

The revision of the Deer Open Seasons Order extends the hunting season for Red Stags (excluding in Kerry), Sika Stags and Fallow Bucks so that the season will begin on August 1, each year and end on April 30, of the following year.

It also extends the hunting season for Red Hinds (excluding in Kerry), Sika Hinds and Fallow Does – and antlerless deer for each species- so that the season would now end on March 31, each year.

Earlier this month, the first phase of a new initiative developed by the NPWS to bring deer hunting licence applications online was launched.

Applications for a deer hunting licence for the coming season can now be submitted to the NPWS through a new licensing portal.

Those applying for a deer hunting licence for the 2024/2025 season will be the first group to avail of the new online system.

The post Deer management units and manager tender due in coming weeks appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A total of 28 ‘expressions of interest’ have been registered in relation to the €40 million Biomethane Capital Grant.

According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, the grant is available to “kickstart an agri-led biomethane industry”.

“Anaerobic Digestion (AD) has a critical role to play in the coming years.

“The National Biomethane Strategy was approved last month. A successful biomethane industry will assist farmers with the decarbonisation of agriculture, while also providing diversification opportunities for farmers,” the minister stated.

The Climate Action Plan 2023 included a commitment to “supporting delivery of up to 5.7TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030”.

Biomethane

Minister McConalogue has outlined that AD plants currently operating to produce biogas will be eligible for capital support to upgrade their facilities to produce biomethane and other biobased products, along with new AD plant.

“While all sustainable feedstocks will be eligible to apply for this initial capital funding, a key aim of the initial grant support will be to develop an agri-led AD plant,” he added.

The capital grant is funded by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility and the the expression of interest window in relation to the grant closed last week.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) the 28 expressions of interest received in relation to the capital grant reflects “the large interest that there currently is in development of the sector in Ireland”.

DAFM has “partnered” with SEAI to oversee the administration of the capital grant.

Minister McConalogue said that he believes a successful biomethane industry will “have a significant role to play in contributing to energy security, as well as the decarbonisation of the energy system by displacing approximately 10% of fossil gas by 2030”.

DAFM has confirmed that any party who registered an interest in the €40 million grant and who “meets the initial required criteria” will now receive an application form in the coming weeks.

The post 28 ‘expressions of interest’ in Biomethane Capital Grant appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A rural school sowed the seeds of victory, winning the overall award in the Muintir na Tíre Cork school garden competition 2024.

The green-fingered pupils of Muinefliuch National School which is located 8km from Macroom town, took the coveted award. Co-sponsored by Cork County Council, the annual Cork schools garden competition is open to all primary schools in Cork county and city that have a school garden or are in the process of developing one.

Speaking at the awards at Cork County Hall, mayor of the county of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn said he was extremely impressed with the work being done in the primary schools that entered the Cork school garden competition this year.

He congratulated all 33 schools that entered, as well as the commitment and dedication of the principals, teachers, special needs assistants, parents, and others involved in helping develop the gardens. 

“I hope next year’s competition will be even bigger,” he said.

Sean Holland, chair of the Muintir na Tíre committee which has been organising the competition since 2012, said that it continues to be immensely popular with schools all over the county.

“The standard is extremely high, with every year reaching new levels of creativity, ingenuity and biodiversity,” he said.

“Students used their knowledge and awareness to create incredible friendly functional and biodiverse spaces that help conserve local and native plant and animal species, as well as demonstrating their keen ability to rethink, repair, refurbish, reuse, recycle and upcycle items to bring their gardens to life, reducing CO2 emissions and wastage going to landfills.”

More information on the competition is on the Muintir na Tire website.

The post Rural school blooms in Muintir na Tíre garden competition appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The benefits of planting trees on farms were discussed during a farm walk focused on agroforestry in Co. Kerry this week.

Agroforestry is a collective name for land-use practices where trees are combined with crops or animals on the same unit of land.

Thomas and Claire O’Connor, who hosted the farm walk, have owned Manna Organic Farm in Camp, Co. Kerry for the past 17 years.

The 25ac farm integrates agroforestry principles with vegetable plots surrounded by shelter trees and a 4ac permaculture field featuring fruit trees and shrubs.

A further 4ac is dedicated to terraced agroforestry with soft fruit bushes and trees such as willow, birch, and sycamore.

The farm also includes around 13ac of native woodland, around 60% of which is oak, which was planted around 14 years ago.

The O’Connors are certified organic farmers and place great importance on a “good healthy eco-system” in which to grow “nutrient dense” food.

The couple also run an organic shop in nearby Tralee allowing them to sell their horticulture produce directly to customers.

The farm produces salads, kale, scallions, onions, leeks, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes.

“We tend to grow stuff that is the freshest that we can bring into the shop and then we also buy from other local producers and we import. Everything that we sell in our store is certified organic,” Thomas told Agriland.

Due to the exposed location of the farm on the Dingle Peninsula, Thomas knew that trees would play an important role by providing shelter to crops and animals and improving soil fertility by recycling nutrients.

The trees also produce by-products, such as fruit and wood, offering an additional income stream.

“We’re on the side of a mountain and the fact that we can get trees to grow here is really good,” he said.

“In our horticultural area in the heatwaves we never have a problem with water because the hedgerows and the ditches end up creating dew in the morning so there’s always plenty of moisture,” he added.

Similar to other farms, Thomas admits that there has been “a certain element of trial and error” when it comes to trees.

“You learn through your mistakes but you can actually learn a lot by going and meeting farmers, going to people that have the expertise and seeing what they have done in person,” he said.

Agroforestry

This week’s event was part of a series of farm walks around the country being organised by the Irish Agroforestry Forum.

The walks aim to highlight how introducing trees into farming systems can enhance biodiversity, improve animal welfare and soil health and contribute to climate change mitigation.

As part of the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027, agroforestry planting is supported through a range of funding and premiums.

It should be noted that where farmers plant under the agroforestry scheme, the converted land will be classified by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) as forestry.

“The schemes are fantastic because they can give you the establishment and help you with the fencing and the set up in the first place. But you should plant trees anyway because they bring other values to the farm.

“They make you farm more resilient, they take the stress away from your animals, they create shelter. You’re future proofing your farm by growing trees within your farming system,” Thomas said.

The organic farmer believes that “we need to redefine our perspective of what trees mean on the landscape”.

“It’s not a mono-culture of Sitka spruce and it doesn’t mean that they’re clear felled all the time, it’s a continuous improvement of the eco-system and the environment,” he said.

The post Watch: Agroforestry showcased on Kerry farm walk appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The wide diversity in Irish farming systems and approaches to farming with nature in mind are represented by Farming for Nature’s farm walks, according to network and engagement officer at Farming for Nature, Sarah Coonan.

Coonan was speaking in advance of two upcoming Farming for Nature walks which will be hosted by Westmeath farmers, James Ham from Moyvore, and Kate Egan, Ballymore.

The focus of the two Farming for Nature ambassadors will be on biodiversity and climate resistance.

The network, founded in 2018, seeks to acknowledge and support farmers who farm, or wish to farm, in a way that will improve the natural health of the countryside.

Farming for nature

James will host his farm walk ‘Rejuvenating old hedgerows and encouraging biodiversity with continuous cover forestry on a suckler enterprise’ on Sunday, June 30. James farms alongside his family in Moyvore.

Their 52ha farm is 50% under woodland/forestry and the other 50% is mature multispecies pasture including approximately 4ha of spring barley which is used for feed and straw.

Ham has worked hard at greatly reducing the number of chemical inputs on the farm over the years.

There is over 4,000m of hedgerow on the farm, equivalent to approximately 1.5ha of linear woodland, which is left mostly left untrimmed.

Regular hedge maintenance is by traditional hedge laying. These thick and mature hedges provide not only a crucial habitat for birds and insects, but also shelter for the livestock.

The continuous cover forestry system contains a wide range of hardwood and softwood trees.

Tree species include: hawthorn, blackthorn; spindle; crab apple; oak; elm; holly; sycamore; alder; beech; birch; Norway Spruce; Douglas fir; larch and Scots pine. 

Ham said: “The afforested half of the farm, despite being relatively young, has greatly improved the amount of wildlife on the farm.

“Pine martin are now present, and the jays are obviously doing their job, as we see little oak and hazel seedlings all over the site.”

Egan will host her farm walk ‘Accelerating biodiversity and building climate resistance on a smallholding’ on Sunday, July 7.

She has been a Farming for Nature ambassador since 2019. She runs a 9ac chemical-free farm ‘An Ghrian Glas’ in Ballymore, which is dedicated to biodiversity and permaculture. 

What was once a market garden providing fresh, local vegetables to restaurants and shops in the midlands has transformed into a vibrant community growing project.

In November 2023, Egan launched the ‘Grow Together’ initiative and invited people to go and grow with her for a year.

“Starting out to grow food is no easy feat. There are so many different aspects to learn. Growing as a group together provides community, shared responsibility for the garden and shared knowledge. It’s also a lot of fun,” she said.

Kate will showcase her garden, food forest and orchard on her Farming for Nature walk where participants will learn how she is regenerating the soil and growing food.

Coonan said that Irish farmers want to do the best for the land and for future generations: “These walks provide a wonderful roadmap for how to do just that on that any farm.

“There’s one thing that’s clear and that’s that there is no one way to farm for nature.

“Our ambassador farm walks  represent the wide diversity in Irish farming systems and approaches to farming with nature in mind.”

Participation in the Farming for Nature ambassador walks cost €10. Booking can be done on the Farming for Nature website.

Farming for Nature receives funding support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). 

The post Farming for Nature walks represent farming systems’ wide diversity appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A stakeholder conference on carbon farming has heard that there is a “significant knowledge gap” among farmers, landowners, and agri-food stakeholders around the topic.

Teagasc’s Counting Carbon: Science and Practice Conference took place in Ashtown, Dublin yesterday (Thursday, June 20).

It heard from a number of speakers on the development of a carbon farming system for Ireland, one of whom was Bernard Harris, an official in the climate change and bioenergy policy division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Carbon farming refers to farming with a focus on carbon emissions, and involves measuring carbon emissions and taking land use actions to mitigate those emissions.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has said it is committed to the development of a Carbon Farming Framework in 2024 to “support the rewarding of farmers, foresters and landowners”.

However, Harris said that there is a significant gap among farmers, landowners, agri-food stakeholders around this topic, as it is a new and developing area.

In a presentation on the policy aspects of developing a future Carbon Farming Framework, Harris said that, as a first step, it would be useful to develop a knowledge transfer strategy around a carbon farming demonstration.

The current knowledge gap in the area was reflected in the results of a public consultation on the development of a framework that was conducted last year.

While the prospective of diversifying farm income was viewed by 62% of responders as a positive opportunity, Harris said that, when asked if they would join a carbon farming initiative “right now”, only 53% said they would.

The remainder said they would rather wait as they did not know enough to be able to decide.

Harris cited this as an “important signal” as it shows the scale of uncertainty.

Sensible consultation, deliberation and information activities should be used to address that uncertainty, the department official said.

Carbon farming consultation

According to Harris, farmers made up over 30% of the respondents to last year’s public consultation, while farm advisors made up around 25% and foresters about 18%. These three groups were the largest categories of respondents.

There was broad agreement among respondents that a compensation mechanism to reward eco-system services was needed as part of the framework, as well as carbon removal, greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and biodiversity measures.

Harris also outlined that a great majority of respondents saw the state or the EU as being responsible for paying for carbon farming measures by farmers. However, a decent-sized group of respondents said that costs can be shared by consumers, processors, and the food producers themesleves.

He also said that it was clear from the consultation that a longer duration to the “time horizon” of financing activities was desirable, with almost 50% preferring a 20-year period for funding.

The post ‘Significant knowledge gap’ among stakeholders on carbon farming appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A recent study by Teagasc has highlighted the agricultural threat posed by crane fly larvae (leatherjackets), more commonly known as ‘daddy long-legs’ when fully grown.

These larvae damage grazing pastures and crops by feeding on roots and stems, causing significant economic losses.

Teagasc’s Crops, Environment and Land Use Programme has published findings on sustainable pest control methods.

The research conducted by Dr. Aisling Moffat, under the guidance of Dr. Louise McNamara, focused on grassland farms in Scotland, but found the findings are applicable to Irish agriculture due to similar climatic conditions and land use practices.

The research, covering data from 1980-2020 with a focus on 2009-2018, also revealed that leatherjacket populations are significantly influenced by farm management practices and weather conditions.

In Northern Ireland alone, leatherjacket damage is estimated at £1.5 million annually, factoring in insecticide and fertiliser costs.

This figure, however, might be outdated as chlorpyrifos, a primary insecticide used against leatherjackets, was banned in 2019 due to environmental and genotoxic concerns, according to the research.

Daddy long-legs

Intensive practices such as pesticide use and sheep grazing tend to reduce leatherjacket numbers, whereas less intensive management results in higher populations.

Larger fields and the presence of sheep grazing also contribute to lower larval populations, as sheep grazing disrupts larval habitats, the researchers have said.

Weather conditions play a crucial role, with temperature and precipitation affecting leatherjacket stages differently.

Warmer temperatures generally reduce populations at the adult and second instar stages but increase third instar larva during warmer winters. Rainfall too influences larval numbers.

Further research adopted by Teagasc will explore sustainable techniques such as diverse crop rotations and organic farming to control leatherjacket population, while promoting farm biodiversity.

Implementing these strategies could lead to a more balanced and environmentally friendly approach to pest management, ensuring the protection of crops and livelihoods, according to Teagasc.

The post Are daddy long-legs threatening your farm? appeared first on Agriland.ie.

According to the paper presented at the Teagasc ‘Counting Carbon: Science and Practice Conference‘ this week, Ireland currently uses an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 approach for calculating soil C sequestration on grassland on mineral soils.

However, this Tier 1 approach does not fully represent Irish farming conditions or measured data, leading to uncertainty.

To address this, Ireland needs measured CO2 flux and C stock data across different soil types, management practices, and land uses, according to senior researcher with Teagasc, Giulia Bondi, who presented the paper at the conference.

This would enable Ireland to develop Tier 2 approach that would enhance accuracy in the national inventory for land use and land management.

Soil carbon sequestration

The conference heard that global warming is the long-term increase in the earth’s temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide (CO2).

Carbon sequestration is understood to help reduce global warming by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and in turn, offsetting the warming effect.

Referencing further research, Giulia Bondi’s presentation outlined that a framework for climate-smart land management for Ireland incorporates a three-step approach to optimise carbon dynamics and mitigate climate change impacts.

Firstly, it focuses on maintaining existing C stocks, recognising the crucial role of peatlands, which occupy approximately 20% of land but contain over 53% of carbon stocks, acting as hotspots for carbon sequestration.

Secondly, the framework aims to prevent new emissions from emission-sensitive soils, thereby mitigating further atmospheric carbon release.

This includes drained peats, or mineral soils moving from grasslands to arable (tillage), which can release significant amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere, the conference heard.

Thirdly, it emphasises enhancing long-term carbon sequestration in grassland soils and through land use changes such as afforestation.

This holistic approach not only prevents carbon losses but also actively promotes carbon accumulation, contributing to a more sustainable and climate-resilient land management system, the Teagasc researcher outlined.

Carbon sinks vs carbon stocks

Teagas has stated that there is often confusion between the concept of carbon sequestration and carbon stocks.

Soil carbon stocks represent the total amount of C (carbon) stored in an area, to a specific soil depth on a specific date. It is typically measured as tonnes of carbon per hectare (t C/ha).

Carbon sequestration refers to the change in soil carbon stocks between one sampling date and another. It is the net change in soil C stock over time often referred to as carbon stock change.

Soil carbon sequestration is when carbon from the air is stored in the soil. Plants take in CO2 during photosynthesis and store carbon in their leaves and stems. When plants die, this carbon goes into the soil.

Soil microorganisms break down plant residues, releasing some carbon back into the air, but some remains in the soil as you can see in the picture below.

Soil can reduce atmospheric CO2 if it stores more carbon than it releases. The balance depends on land use, land management, soil type, and environmental conditions, and can shift quickly from storing to releasing carbon.

The typical carbon balance for an improved Irish grassland soil indicated the potential range in soil carbon sequestration ranges from 1.5t to 4t CO2/ha per year, according to Teagasc researchers.

While Irish soils have substantial carbon stocks, Teagasc suggests that key question remain – are we adding to or depleting these stocks? How permanent is soil C sequestration?

Research shows that grasslands usually store carbon, but there is uncertainty about how much they store and how management and climate affect this.

The conclusion is that improving soil carbon sequestration and emissions estimates involves using a multiscale approach.

Bondi explained to the attendees at the conference that this includes measuring fluxes at the field and farm levels, developing national soil carbon baselines, and using modelling techniques.

The conference heard that grassland soils in Ireland store significant amounts of carbon, approximately 440t CO2/ha or an estimated 1,800Mt CO2 across all mineral soils.

Teagasc has said that managing soil carbon effectively can significantly reduce atmospheric CO2 concentrations and improve agricultural productivity.

The post ‘Uncertainty’ in Ireland’s soil carbon sequestration approach appeared first on Agriland.ie.

“We must be able to measure carbon accurately.” That’s according to director of Teagasc, Prof. Frank O’Mara who addressed the Teagasc Counting Carbon: Science and Practice Conference in Ashtown, Dublin yesterday (Thursday, June 20).

Leading experts got together to explore innovative approaches to carbon farming. The conference aimed to bridge the gap between theory and application in carbon counting, and delve into both the science and practice behind this aspect of sustainable agriculture.

Prof. O’Mara continued: “We are presenting the latest research in terms of measuring and counting carbon.

“Particularly in soils, but also measuring the carbon in trees and hedgerows and other above ground carbon stores.”

Carbon farming conference

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue gave the opening address to the conference where he highlighted that the pastoral and arable-based systems of farming in Ireland have demonstrated their sustainability.

He said that the agriculture and the land use sector can contribute significantly to meeting the targeted reduction in emissions.,

The minister pointed out that the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) has provided farmers and policy makers with a range of measures to reduce emissions.

He said that Ireland has been at the forefront in developing schemes that are aligned with farming carbon principals and he is committed to the development of this policy area.

Christian Holzleitner, head of unit responsible for land economy and carbon removals at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action also addressed the conference.

He said that the one big objective is to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. He emphasised the need to reduce emissions and get better at taking carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in soils and forests.

He also outlined their latest plans around an EU Carbon Farming Framework and Certification process.   

Dr. Giulia Bondi, researcher at the Teagasc Climate Research Centre, delivered a paper on farming carbon – concepts and challenges.

She spoke about the important role soils play in storing carbon, pointing out that in Ireland the majority of the carbon stored in soils is in our peat soils. 

Meanwhile, head of the Teagasc Climate Research Centre, Dr. Karl Richards said: “Carbon farming offers the potential for financial reward for actions to reduce emissions and enhance sinks.

“The detail of any new scheme and the pricing of carbon in the future will strongly influence farmer interest.”

The post Carbon farming: ‘We must be able to measure carbon accurately’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Council of the EU has agreed its negotiating mandate on the directive which will amend the water framework directive, the groundwater directive and the directive on environmental quality standards.

The proposal updates priority substances and environmental quality standards in surface water and groundwater.

The council’s mandate is described as setting a balance between keeping ambitious goals for the EU’s water policy and providing flexibility for member states in the implementation of water legislation, while keeping a level-playing field and reducing administrative burden.

Alain Maron, minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for climate change, environment, energy and participatory democracy said: “Reducing pollutants and extending the monitoring to new substances, like forever chemicals or pharmaceuticals, in surface waters and groundwater is crucial in order to protect human health and our ecosystems.”

Updated list of water pollutants

The proposal updates the list of water pollutants by adding new pollutants and related quality standards for some per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

Forever chemicals (PFAS)

PFAS are a large group of ‘forever chemicals’ used in cookware, clothing and furniture, fire-fighting foam and personal care products.

Member states agreed to maintain the European Commission’s proposal on setting environmental quality standards for the sum of 24 PFAS in surface water.

Pesticides

The commission’s proposal to add quality standards for non-relevant metabolites of pesticides has been simplified.

The council also added the obligation for the commission to establish a list of known pesticides, indicating if they are relevant or not.

Pharmaceuticals

Member states agreed to maintain the commission’s proposal for listing individual pharmaceutical products, used as painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as antibiotics.

The negotiating mandate provides for a stepwise approach when there is evidence that stricter quality standards need to be set to protect the ecosystem.

Monitoring and reporting water quality

The water framework directive requires member states to submit their river basin management plans and to report on the status of water bodies in their countries.

For this, the current water framework directive applies a one-out-all-out principle. This means that all ecological and chemical indicators should meet the quality standards set in EU legislation.

According to the EU Commission, this principle makes it difficult to show overall progress. Therefore, member states agreed that the commission will set indicators at EU level to measure progress in a uniform way, also in situations where not all quality standards are at ‘good’ status.

The negotiating mandate provides for intermediate reporting, new monitoring techniques, including remote sensing, and the possibility to set up an EU-wide monitoring facility to help member states with their tasks.

Member states also clarified the concept of deterioration of the status of a water body i.e., short-term activities effects without lasting consequences or already existing pollution relocation within, or between, waterbodies will not be considered as deterioration, as long as they do not produce an overall increase in pollution.

Groundwater pollutants

As regards groundwater substances identified as being of national concern, the council has narrowed down the scope and sets EU-wide values only for synthetic substances.

Member states will have until 2039 to achieve ‘good’ groundwater chemical status.

As groundwater is the main source for drinking water in many member states, the negotiating mandate aligns the PFAS requirement for groundwater with the drinking water directive, which sets quality standards for 20 PFAS.

It also includes quality standards for the four most problematic PFAS.

A mandatory ‘watch list mechanism’ for groundwater similar to the already existing one for surface water, will also be introduced.

The Council clarified that microplastics and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes will be included in the watch list only once harmonised monitoring and evaluation standards are in place.

Future reviews

Member states stressed the need to update the relevant pollutants list for surface water and groundwater through legislative acts to be adopted according to the ordinary legislative procedure, instead of the initial proposal to have them amended via delegated acts of the commission.

This latest negotiating mandate allows for member states to transpose the directive in two years instead of 18 months, as initially proposed by the commission.

The agreement on the council’s negotiating mandate allows its presidency to start talks with the European Parliament on the final text. The European Parliament adopted its position on April 24, 2024.

Background

Chemical pollution of surface and groundwater poses a threat to the aquatic environment, with effects such as acute and chronic toxicity in aquatic organisms, accumulation of pollutants in the ecosystem and loss of habitats and biodiversity, as well as to human health, according to the EU.

This proposal addresses the legal obligation of the EU to regularly review the lists of pollutants affecting surface and groundwaters.

Setting environmental standards is part of the European Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition of having an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050.

The post EU Council paves way for final wording on water quality framework appeared first on Agriland.ie.

No one would question that the language around climate commitments has shifted considerably across the European Union.

What was previously hard language about the unavoidable cuts needed have slowly been chipped away.

We saw it in the run up to the European elections both from powerful players in the centre right European People Party (EPP) and not least from EPP member and commission president Ursula Von der Leydon around climate.

This approach ultimately played out in the European elections as the centre-right European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR) gained 14 seats while in contrast the Greens/EFA group lost 20 seats.

Earlier this year farmers’ protests captured much of the headlines, not least for their antics around fires and heavy machinery, behind the scenes powerful interests were cutting away at the Green Deal.

Massive economic players such as the EU’s auto manufacturers, despite their public commitment to the EV transition, secured modifications to the EU’s planned ban on combustion engines by allowing for e-fuels.

Decried by environmental activists and more importantly many scientific experts stating this e-fuel is just a smokescreen for continued fossil fuel burning.

This is due to fears that e-fuels are likely to be produced using national grids despite claims that they will be produced solely via renewable energy.

Meanwhile, the same automakers have successfully pushed the EU to attempt to restrict access to cheaper Chinese made EVs due to their lower prices, hindering the inevitable switch to electric transport.

Similarly the aviation industry seems nearly untouchable as despite rising carbon taxes on home heating kerosene, the nearly identical kerosene burnt in planes remains untaxed.

Efforts to move forward such a implementation of fair taxation has been heavily opposed by powerful lobbies funded by large airlines, not least Ireland’s own Ryanair.

Perhaps this is why despite positive noises, the official Irish governmental position on ending these tax exemptions and including them in the EU’s trading system (ETS) has still not appeared.

Meanwhile in Ireland despite the fact there is a Green government coalition partner in place the EPA has warned all sectors are off track for legally binding target for the 2030.

It would be easy to blame the Green Party for this, as this was core to their election promises, but that would be a lazy assessment.

Instead the issues lie in failing to address the balance between economic growth and greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Climate challenge

Continued connections of energy hungry data centres at a time when we still are not harnessing the wind potential off our west cost will inevitably lead to failures to meet electricity GHG reductions.

Progressing with more motorway and bypass building, which inevitably increases GHG from combustion engines instead of investing further in buses and rail blows away GHG savings from increased electric cars.

While many small towns and rural areas have benefited from increased Local Link supports, as someone living on the commuter belt this is a welcome but minor impact.

Indeed Irish transport emissions are some of the fastest rising across the EU post covid lockdowns.

The underperformance is stark, EPA projections put transport emissions reductions even in the best case scenario at exceeding their 2030 ceiling by 2.7 million tonnes CO₂eq or 45% higher than they should.

Meanwhile agriculture is far closer, on track to exceed by 10% although this scenario does not include reductions via early slaughter and other policy measures the EPA says they need to see more evidence for.

In fact transport despite starting from a lower base will exceed their emissions ceiling by a greater amount than agriculture.

Agriculture

What this means to agriculture remains to be seen, specifically in 2025.

Many seem to have forgotten when the targets were set a review was to be carried out of how on or off track to 2030 sectors were. This means the potential for revisions to ceiling to allow fossil fuel intensive transport to exceed their emissions ceilings by further cuts to agriculture could be on the cards.

Farmers should be warned not to listen to the extreme end of the political arena who say we can toss out these targets completely.

There is a significant legal framework underpinning them at both national and EU level.

Such promises would only lead to damnation for farming – as instead of government policy where farming organisations still have a say – the battle would move to courtrooms where they have little to no experience while environmental activists have far more.

Instead farmers would be best served by speeding up of the fossil fuel transition to ensure breathing room to meet our own targets without being forced to carry a burden for other sectors.

The post Thomas Duffy: Ignoring climate targets isn’t an option appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Over 80% of people across the globe want their government to take “stronger” action to combat climate change, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP) survey.

The Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024 was completed by 75,000 people across 77 countries and the survey consisted of 15 questions on the topic of climate change.

The aim of the survey was to understand how climate change is impacting people across the world, and how the people want their government to respond.

UNDP administrator, Achim Steiner said that the vote is “loud and clear”, and that global citizens want their government to act now and “act boldly” to fight climate crisis.

Some of the world’s “biggest” greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, such as, China and Iran, were in favour of stronger government support against climate change.

The survey discovered that women from Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the US were more likely to want more climate action from the government compared to men.

After a year of adverse weather conditions globally, 53% of the participants were more worried about climate change this year, than last year.

The analysis revealed that the people who experienced “worse than usual extreme” weather have thought about climate change weekly and many have factored it into big decisions.

Citizens from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) were more worried about the impact of climate change compared to people from other countries who took part in the survey.

Prof. Stephen Fisher from the Department of Sociology at University of Oxford, said:

“Special efforts were also made to include people from marginalised groups in the poorest parts of the world. This is some of the very highest quality global data on public opinions on climate change available.”

A “huge majority” of people in the most climate-vulnerable/dependent countries wanted more protection from their government against extreme weather, according to the survey results.

The change in weather has impacted 69% of peoples’ decision on where to live or work with the main proportion of those affected in the LDCs.

Nine out of 10 countries (85%) wanted their country to move away from fossil fuels in the hope that the country could transition to clean energy “very quickly”.

Even people among the top 10 biggest producers of fossil fuels, such as, oil, gas or coal were in favour of moving away from using non-renewable sources.

Global director of climate change at the UNDP, Cassie Flynn said that these results are “undeniable evidence that people everywhere support climate action” and the next two years are important to ensure global warming stays under 1.5°C.

The post Survey: 80% of people want ‘stronger’ action towards climate change appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The New South Wales (NSW) government has activated its emergency biosecurity plan against the backdrop of over one million bird deaths across the country, according to Australian authorities.

This specific plan comes following the detection of bird flu at a poultry egg farm in the Hawksebury district.

The highly contagious and often fatal disease has resulted in the deaths of 8,000 birds over the past 48 hours in NWS.

Avian influenza, or bird flu, poses a constant risk of introduction from wild birds, especially during migratory periods from October onwards when birds congregate on wetlands and mix with resident species.

The disease can affect many different types of birds, including domesticated chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and other fowl.

NSW consumers have been assured that eggs and poultry products currently available are safe to consume.

Authorities emphasise that this detection does not pose a risk to consumer health, provided standard handling and cooking procedures are followed.

The confirmation of Avian Influenza H7N8 came after testing by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) national research laboratory.

Biosecurity

In response, the NSW government has implemented measures as part of its biosecurity incident plan, which aligns with the national approach for bird flu.

Key actions taken over the past 48 hours included:

• Testing samples with CSIRO to identify the bird flu type;
• Locking down the affected egg farm;
• Issuing a control order to depopulate the farm’s birds and dispose of the remains biosecurely, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

Depopulation of the farm commenced shortly after, following Australian Veterinary guidelines to ensure humane treatment.

This process is expected to take five to seven days to fully depopulate the farm, which houses 240,000 birds.

Surrounding chicken industry farms have also been alerted and have activated their own bird flu plans, implementing lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the virus

The NSW government will issue another control order to restrict the movement of machinery, materials, animals, and transport within a two kilometre radius of the affected farm.

The localised lockdown covers three large commercial poultry farms and affects up to 355,000 birds. No movement of eggs, birds, or machinery will be allowed out of the zone during the control order.

Bird flu vaccines

Meanwhile, the European Commission is preparing to offer vaccines to people deemed to be at a higher risk of exposure to avian influenza.

The EU’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has signed a contract for the supply of up to 665,000 doses of the zoonotic influenza vaccine, Seqirus.

The commission said that it will have the option for a further 40 million doses, if required, over the duration of the contract.

15 EU member states, including Ireland, are participating in the voluntary procurement with the company Seqirus UK Ltd.

The post Biosecurity emergency declared in Australia over bird flu appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Nearly double the annual phosphorous (P) loss on an area of land in Co. Wexford occurred after one night of rain.

On May 21 this year, David Ryan of the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP) detailed that there were very localised torrential downpours in Co. Wexford.

He said that one such shower occurred in Castledockrell, Co. Wexford, which is one of six areas in the country being closely monitored by Teagasc’s ACP.

The catchment area of 1,200ha has numerous pieces of automated equipment that continuously monitor rainfall, river flow and nutrient content, and there is now over 15 years of data collected. 

In Castledockrell for example, phosphorous losses are small and concentrations are usually below that required under environmental regulations (WFD).

The average amount of P measured/year in the stream is 0.37 kg/ha. 

On May 21, just over 32mm of rain fell on the land that day, most of it over a very short period of time.

Some 20mm fell in 20 minutes and the remaining 10mm over the following 40 minutes.

In the following 12 hours, the flood event took with it 0.61 kg/ha of P, which Ryan said was “close to twice what would normally leave in a year”.

He added that this level of detail would not be achievable without the up-to-date and functioning equipment installed in the catchment with the co-operation of over 300 farmers across the six locations. 

Ryan stated: “The ACP would like to acknowledge the funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine which enables this research to take place.”

The ACP commenced in 2008 and is coordinated and managed from the Teagasc environmental research centre in Johnstown Castle.

Ryan, a technologist with the ACP said that “many people are surprised to hear the amount of phosphorous (P) that we measure which is lost to our rivers and streams.

“From an agricultural perspective it is very small, but is often significant from an ecological impact in rivers and lakes,” he added.

The post Land in Wexford had nearly double its yearly P loss after day of rain appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) is identifying the most cost-effective pathway to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and agri-emissions, and to enhance cabron sequestrations.

This was one of the key messages delivered by Teagasc director, Prof. Frank O’Mara, courtesy of his recent presentation to the Northern Ireland Institute of Agricultural Science (NIIAS) annual conference.

“The curve represents a plan in terms of how emission reductions can be met across all sectors of agriculture.

“Reducing emissions from agriculture is very complex, and we know there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to this challenge.

“It is easy to relate to changes that can take place within transport to reduce carbon emissions, for example, switching to electric vehicles will be an integral part of this process. And the members of the public can easily pick up on this messaging.

“However, this is not the case, where farming and land use are concerned – the solutions are more complex. 

“The fundamental reality remains, that the widespread adoption of all the measures referenced within the MACC will allow Irish agriculture to meet its climate change targets by 2030.”

O’Mara went on to affirm that good water quality is an essential feature of agriculture, adding.

“Our reputation depends on having good water quality, and all farmers have a role to play in delivering on this objective.”

However, the Teagasc director also confirmed that the quality of water in Irish rivers had plateaued.

This trend had been highlighted in the most recent figures, published by Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Teagasc director continued:

“Rivers are broken down into five categories in terms of their water quality status: high, good, moderate, poor and bad.

“Our target is that all water bodies should be within the high or good categories by 2027. 50% plus of our rivers fall within the high and good categories at the present time.

“But, this trend has remained, more or less, static for a number of years. So, we have to turn around this state of affairs very quickly.”

According to Prof. O’ Mara a lot is now happening with the specific aim of addressing Ireland water quality challenge.

This work includes the progress achieved courtesy of the Agricultural Catchments Programme, targeting very detailed research and monitoring of six mini catchments across the country.

In addition, the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) is allowing farmers to access a free and confidential advisory service, thereby allowing them to improve the quality of the water of their local streams and other water bodies.

The professor explained:

“The level of farmer engagement with ASSAP has been very positive, but it costs money to ensure that the correct investments are made at individual farm level to improve water quality.

“It is in this context that the recently launched a €60 million European Innovation Programme will play an important role.

“As a result, Teagasc has just launched its multi-actor Better Farming for Water 8-Actions for Change campaign, at the request of the Minister for Agriculture.

“Improved nutrient management, farm management and land management are the three broad themes within the programme.

“All Teagasc advisors will be having conversations with each of their 40,000 plus clients in order to identify how each of the actions for change within the better farming for water campaign can be implemented in the most effective manner across the entire breadth of Irish agriculture.”

The post No ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to reducing agri-emissions – expert appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Bord Bia has unveiled a Biodiversity Target Guidance Report designed to “empower” Irish food and drink businesses in crafting and enhancing their biodiversity strategies.

The report offers detailed advice on potential future reporting requirements, particularly those emerging from global initiatives, such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at Cop 15 in December 2022.

This framework aims to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

The urgency for such measures is highlighted by a 2022 S&P Global report, which found that only 29.5% of the largest companies in the S&P Europe 350 had established biodiversity targets.

In alignment with this report, the Irish food board is launching the Pathways to Biodiversity Planning programme in collaboration with Sustainable Enterprise Skillnet and 20FIFTY Partners.

The programme includes discussions with key speakers, peer engagement, educational workshops and mentoring. 

Bord Bia

Bord Bia is advocating for Irish businesses to set robust biodiversity goals with the support provided in the new Pathways to Enabling Biodiversity Strategy Development and Reporting document.

Senior sustainability manager at Bord Bia, Martin Hofler discussed the role of biodiversity in sustaining ecosystems and food production globally:

“Food and drink businesses now have a responsibility and an opportunity to pave the way in safeguarding biodiversity and reducing harm to the environment,” Hofler said.

“Our new report aims to support businesses in doing just that, by providing key insights to support Origin Green members in the development of their own biodiversity strategies and empowering them to play their part in protecting our environment and its ecosystems,” he continued.

Additionally, Bord Bia will offer various support programs, including the Leaders Sustainability Acceleration Programme with University College Dublin (UCD) Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Through these efforts, Bord Bia aims to “empower Irish food and drink businesses” to adopt proactive biodiversity strategies.

The post Bord Bia launches biodiversity report for food and drink businesses appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Large numbers of farmers applied for the ‘reseeding grant’ which offered a financial incentive of up to €300/ha, or approximately €122/ac to reseed land with two different sward types.

The 2024 Multi-species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures opened for applications on Tuesday, March 5 this year through the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) online application system.

The deadline for farmers or their advisors to submit applications for these schemes in 2024 fell on Wednesday (May 15).

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has recently provided Agriland with information on the number of applicants to the Red Clover Silage Measure (RCSM) and Multi-Species Swards Measure (MSSM) and the area of ground entered under each initiative.

The total applicants and area/measure are set out below:

DAFM specified that amendments were allowed up to May 31 and that these figures were subject to change.

According to the DAFM information, over 15,000ha or 37,200ac of land were entered in the two measures combined. 5,341ha were entered for the MSSM and 9,727ha were applied for under the RCSM.

The RCSM proved to be the more popular option amongst farmers with 1,392 applicants under this initiative versus 1,062Ha under the MSSM.

To be eligible under these measures the swards must be sown between July 16, 2023 and July 15, 2024 and established by September 30, 2024.

According to the DAFM, the RCSM and MSSM aim “to incentivise farmers to explore less nitrogen intensive forms of production”.

Launching the measures earlier this year, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said:

“Following on from the success of the two previous years’ programmes, I welcome the reopening of these two measures which will expand on the areas already established.

“As part of the ongoing commitment by this Government to support and improve the sustainability of farming, the 2024 budget will be €2.5 million for the measures.

“A payment rate of up to €300/ha has been retained and will allow for the continuing support in establishing these swards that assist farmers reduce their chemical fertilise usage.”

The minister added that the establishment of red clover silage and multi-species swards “creates opportunities for farmers to improve the environmental and sustainability of their farming systems”.

The post How many farmers applied for the reseeding grant this year? appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Bord na Móna is to develop 79km of new walking and cycling trails as part of a new Fáilte Ireland scheme unveiled today (Wednesday, June 19).

Bord na Móna has been awarded €3.6 million towards the new project as part of Fáilte Ireland’s EU Just Transition Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme, which aims to boost tourism and creating sustainable economic opportunities in the midlands.

In total, more than €32 million in investment grants will be injected into tourism related projects.

According Fáilte Ireland, Bord na Móna’s new walking and cycling trails, which are subject to planning consents and funding approval, will be established in a number of areas.

Bord na Móna

Head of land and habitats at Bord na Móna, Ger Breen, said today: “The sites selected for these trails will deliver significant benefits for the wider community, improving connectivity between trails and local towns and villages.

“We look forward to working with Fáilte Ireland and local authorities to realise these projects.”

New walking and cycling trails will be developed by Bord na Móna in:

• Longford – between Lanesborough and Cloondara;
• Roscommon – between Termonbarry and Roosky;
• Westmeath – between Athlone and Ballinahown;
• Offaly East – between Grand Canal Greenway and Mount Lucas;
• Offaly West – around Clonmacnoise, Ballinahown and Lough Boora;
• Tipperary – between Littleton/Lough Doire Bhuile.

In addition to Bord na Móna’s trail development project, Fáilte Irelands has approved €27.1 million for 22 projects under the scheme, which includes enhancements to local authority and state agency tourism projects.

A €5.5 million Digital Transformation Programme will also support up to 85 tourism enterprises to expand their digital capabilities.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to modernise the tourism sector and improve visitor experiences through digital innovation.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, said the projects mark the first steps in the “regenerative tourism development journey in the midlands”.

“The projects funded support our move as a nation towards a low-carbon economy, in line with the Programme for Government commitment for the development of a Sustainable Tourism Policy, which will support sustainable economic development and job creation,” she said.

The post Bord na Móna to develop 79km of trails under new tourism scheme appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Bank of Ireland has published a “white paper” on how to support the biomethane sector in Ireland, following the release of the new National Biomethane Strategy last month.

The paper is one of two that have been published by Bank of Ireland this week. The other is a more broad document on supporting Ireland’s sustainable food and farming transition.

The papers were developed in collaboration with wealth management company Davy Group.

Bank of Ireland said that the paper on biomethane explores the role biomethane plays in decarbonising the agriculture sector.

According to the bank, a scaled-up biomethane sector is “crucial” to achieving the emissions reduction target for agriculture by 2030, although coordinated climate, energy, and bioeconomy policies will be required for this.

Bank of Ireland, which has around 82,000 farmers on its books, said that both white papers emphasise that a “collaborative approach”, along with a supportive financial system, is vital in ensuring that progress on sustainable measures on-farm is maintained.

However, the bank said that further investment and research in the area is required, with increased sustainability performance being incentivised and clarity provided at a policy level, so that impactful solutions can be designed and investment directed to speed up implementation.

Commenting on these white papers, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said: “The [National Biomethane Strategy] illustrates this government’s support and commitment to developing what is yet a nascent sector.

“Finance, of course, will be a critical element of developing the sector and I welcome the engagement of Bank of Ireland and the publication of these papers today,” the minister added.

Eoin Lowry, Bank of Ireland’s head of agriculture, said: “There is no doubting the scale of the transition required, but Bank of Ireland recognises the key role that agriculture plays in powering this change and will continue to support farmers on this journey.

“Enhanced sustainable farming practices and the increased development of the biomethane sector are vital parts of the overall solutions required, and we will continue to work with a variety of stakeholders to ensure a low emissions future is achieved.”

Dr. Fergal McNamara of Davy Corporate Finance commented: “The development of an indigenous biomethane sector in Ireland will contribute to the decarbonisation of the agriculture and the natural gas sectors which in turn can assist decarbonising other hard-to-abate sectors.

“Ireland is well recognised for its potential in this sector, and we estimate the investment required to meet the Irish government’s target of 5.7TWh (terawatt-hours) by 2030 to be of the order of €1.5 billion,” Dr. McNamara said.

The post Bank of Ireland publishes ‘white paper’ on supporting biomethane appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A coalition of farmers have raised concerns about the EU’s proposed Green Claims Directive, specifically criticising the inclusion of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology.

In an open letter to the EU Council, signed by over 600 farmers, the group argued that the PEF unfairly disadvantages natural fibres in favour of synthetic materials.

The letter, signed by notable figures, including Italian activist and founder of the Slow Food Movement, Carlo Petrini, expressed alarm over the PEF methodology.

In the letter, the farmers asserted that the directive inaccurately portrays natural fibres as environmentally harmful, overlooking the benefits of responsible farming practices.

They claimed that this misrepresentation could lead to policies that favour synthetic fibres, predominantly used in fast fashion, exacerbating the challenges faced by farmers due to economic pressures.

Green Claims Directive

The technical secretariat is the guiding body that is developing the PEF Category Rules (PEFCR) for the apparel and footwear industry.

It is made up of representatives of various stakeholders including brands from the fibre and textile sectors, non government organisations, scientific experts, and governments.

But according to the coalition of the farmers none of the 26 voting members are farmers.

Their letter stated: “Decisions are voted on and agreed by a two-thirds majority – there are 14 total voting members, eight of which have a synthetic business model to protect.”

The open letter urged the EU Council to reconsider the use of the current PEF methodology.

The individuals discussed the need for policies that accurately reflect the environmental impact of natural fibre production and protect the agricultural community.

“We therefore urge you to reconsider the use of the current PEF and PEFCR methodology, and ensure that this policy truly reflects impact of natural fibre production and does not risk damaging the livelihoods of farmers,” the letter continued.

The post Over 600 farmers oppose EU Green Claims Directive appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has reiterated his assurance to farmers that all nature restoration measures will be voluntary.

The comments follows the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) was adopted by the Council of the EU on Monday (June 17), following a vote by member states’ environment ministers.

This means that the regulation has been ratified and will become law across the EU.

Nature restoration

Minister McConalogue said that the government secured “additional flexibilities in the legal text of the NRL to both support farmers and to recognise our specific Irish circumstances”.

“As a result of this intervention, the targets for restoration and rewetting of drained organic soils have been reduced from the original proposal.

“This means the total area for restoration now targets 50% of such area by 2050, rather than 70% as originally proposed, with a third to be rewetted, rather than a half.

“In addition, other flexibilities have been secured including an emergency break provision to suspend implementation in agriculture in the event of circumstances with severe consequences on food security,” he said.

Minister McConalogue clarified that the legal obligation to achieve NRL targets “is on the member states not individual landowners”.

Rewetting

The minister said that targets under the law for rewetting of drained organic soils “are proportional to the national figure”.

In March 2024, the EPA revised the national inventory figure downwards from 332,900ha to 141,000ha.

This change, that revises the figure downwards from 332,900ha to 141,000ha, accounts for drained organic soils that have rewetted naturally.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that reduced targets restoration and rewetting agreed by the EU would result in the following land area requirements nationally:

“With the existing national commitments to rewet 33,000ha of Bord na Móna lands, these lands are sufficient to deliver the NRL rewetting targets without recourse to privately owned land to 2050.

“This fact is a strong reassurance to farmers that there will be no obligatory requirement on farmers to rewet land due to the NRL,” McConalogue said.

The minister has also stressed that that restoration measures will not negatively impact any existing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) commitment, or any other scheme or incentive delivered by his department.

He said that this was confirmed by European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius.

“Any restoration measures that landowners choose to participate in will be voluntary, well incentivised, and resourced.

“Ireland has already announced a €3.15 billion Climate and Nature Fund to support implementation.

“Farmers are committed to biodiversity and it is only right that they are provided with very strong funding separate to CAP to ensure that they are rewarded for any actions that they might voluntarily contribute to,” he said.

Rural co-operation

Meanwhile, chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Jackie Cahill has called for “immediate action to be taken to ensure rural co-operation” with the NRL.

“First and foremost, the farmers adjoining land that is to be rewetted must be given written guarantees that any wetting that takes place will not have any adverse impact on their land. Secondly, participation has to be voluntary.

“Finally, farmers who had land designated in 1998 had a very bitter experience with regards the financial impacts of designation. The capital value of their land has been eroded by at least 75-80%.

“There has to be long-term written guarantees on the financial compensation for land that is to be designated,” he said.

Deputy Cahill also recommended that previously designated land would qualify for the same written guarantees and compensation.

“Owners of that land are greatly contributing to our biodiversity and deserve to be adequately compensated for such,” he said.

The post Minister reassures farmers nature restoration will be voluntary appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue announced on June 12 that under the National Liming Programme, there will be a further extension to the date in which lime can be spread.

What does this mean for farmers? With the deadline extended until October 31, 2024, farmers now have an extended opportunity to correct their soil fertility and pH.

Liming is an essential part of maintaining an optimum soil fertility status, which will drive grass growth and production on your farm.

Liming is even more important in recent times, as with the introduction of the National Fertiliser Database and the monitoring of what fertiliser you spread, it is crucial that you spread lime to reduce fertiliser usage.

Benefits of liming

Liming has many benefits as it can release up to 70kg of soil nitrogen (N)/ha/year, which will therefore reduce the need for chemical N in the ground.

Liming is best known for increasing the soil’s pH, which can lead to an extra 10-15% in grass growth.

According to Teagasc, spreading lime on dairy farm gives you a 700% return on investment, as every €1 worth of lime that is spread, you get a return of €7.

Liming also has its environmental benefits, as due to the amount of N it releases, it therefore reduces the amount of greenhouse (GHG) gasses produced.

Lime application

A farm liming plan should be done, as it will help determine which fields on the farm require lime and how much will be needed on each field.

By taking soil samples, you will be able to identify where lime is needed, and when and at what rate it should be applied.

The ideal soil pH for growing grass is 6.5-7, so, paddocks under this will require lime.

When applying lime , you should not put out more than 7.5t/ha in a single application and if there is a recommendation to spread more than 7.5t/h, spread 50% now and 50% in two years time.

The beauty of lime is that if the weather allows for it, it can be spread at any time of the year.

Lime should be spread with plenty time between application and closing for grass silage. If you are picking up silage with lime still coated on it, it can affect good preservation conditions.

Application of cattle slurry should be done seven to 10 days before lime spreading to reduce the amount of N lost as applying slurry after lime has been applied can result in a loss of up to 50% of the available slurry N.

The same applies when spreading urea. However, early trials suggest that protected urea can be applied to fields that have received lime recently.

If lime has already been spread, the recommendation is to allow for three months between spreading slurry and urea.

The post Liming extension: Opportunity to correct your soil fertility appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament are set to begin talks on a new set of rules on two separate regulations, namely on food waste and ‘green’ claims.

In what was a busy day for EU environment ministers yesterday (Monday, June 18) in their council meeting, they adopted positions on a range of issues.

These included the final adoption of the Nature Restoration Law, as well as adopting its negotiating position on a soil monitoring law, the green claims directive, and the waste framework directive.

The latter three decisions provide the council with its position to take into ‘trilogue’ negotiations with the European Parliament, which has already adopted its position on all three directives.

The aim of the Green Claims Directive, according to the council, is to combat the practice of businesses claiming its products are environmentally friendly or sustainable when there is no scientific basis for the claim. This practice is known as greenwashing.

This directive, if approved by the parliament and the council, would set minimum requirements for the substantiation, communication and verification of explicit environmental claims.

The proposal targets explicit environmental claims, either written or oral, and environmental labels that companies chose to use when marketing. It will also apply to existing and future environmental labelling schemes, both public and private ones.

The council’s position also introduces new requirements to prove climate-related claims, including those involving carbon credits.

The general approach includes the obligation to provide information about the type and quantity of carbon credits, and whether they are permanent or temporary, among other information.

Companies would also be required to distinguish between contribution credits (which contribute directly to climate action) and offset credits (carbon credits that balance out emissions).

EU directive on waste

Also in yesterday’s environment ministers meeting, the council adopted its position on a revision of the Waste Framework Directive, which covers food and textile waste.

The proposed revision sets targets on food waste reduction by 2030, with a 10% reduction target in processing and manufacturing, and a 30% per capita reduction in retail, restaurants, food services and households.

The food reduction targets will be calculated in comparison to the amount of waste generated in the reference year 2020, though member states may use a prior year if they have sufficient data before that, or a subsequent year up to 2023 if the Covid-19 pandemic skewed earlier data.

The council’s position will also take account of the impact of tourism and production levels on food waste.

Talks on both the green claims and food waste regulations between the council and the parliament will begin in the new legislative cycle in the EU.

Farmer reaction

Copa Cogeca, the umbrella group of EU farm organisations and agricultural co-operatives, has welcomed the council’s position on both directives.

Copa said that the position on the Green Claims Directive “takes into consideration the reality on farms and gives the right flexibility to the use of carbon credits”.

Copa had previously raised concerns that farmers would have to jump through two hoops to verify their environmental sustainability, first through environmental regulations under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and then again under the new Green Claims Directive.

However, Copa said that the council’s position addresses this concern by introducing a “simplified procedure” exempting some types of claims from third-party validation.

On the Waste Framework Directive, Copa welcomed the targets that were set, as well as the commitment by the council to improve data collection methods on food waste.

The EU farm organisation called for the results of the coming trilogue negotiations to reflect the council’s position on both regulations.

The post EU talks to go ahead on new food waste and green claims rules appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Researchers at Tyndall National Institute at University Cork (UCC) have developed a soil sensor designed to help farmers reduce their use of chemical fertilisers, offering significant cost savings and mitigating environmental harm.

This development comes in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent water report highlighting nutrient pollution as a major issue affecting water quality.

The sensor, part of the Electronic Smart System (ESS), monitors soil nutrient levels in real time, connecting to the Internet of Things (IoT) and utilising cloud technology to collect and analyse data to generate a report for farmers.

This report provides real time insights into changing soil conditions; helping farmers optimise fertiliser use; reduce nutrient losses and minimise environmental impacts.

Traditional methods of soil monitoring involve taking physical samples and analysing them over time, which can be costly and inaccurate, according to the institute.

The ESS sensor claims to offer a more efficient and precise solution by providing immediate feedback on soil conditions.

This technology aligns with the EU’s Green Deal objectives and the EU’s Farm-to-Fork strategy, which aims to reduce nutrient losses by 50% and address air, soil, and water pollution.

Professor of the Nanotechnology Group at Tyndall, Alan O’Riordan commented on enthusiasm surrounding the technology.

“This is a very exciting emerging technology that does not exist elsewhere in the world. We are now looking at ways to translate this tech into the hands of farmers through licensing or commercialisation,” Prof. O’Riordan said.

The project is funded by the VistaMilk Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Research Centre and represents a significant step forward in the development of smart farming technologies.

By monitoring harmful emissions and ensuring efficient fertiliser use, the ESS sensor contributes to a healthier, more sustainable food supply chain, according to Tyndall National Institute.

With a network of over 200 industry partners and customers worldwide, Tyndall is focused on delivering human and economic impact from excellence in research.

The institute is home to a multidisciplinary research community of over 600 people of 52 nationalities, including over 160 postgraduates. 

The post Newly developed soil sensor helps reduce use of chemical fertilisers appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The outgoing European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius has said that attention must now turn to the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL).

The controversial law was adopted by the Council of the EU yesterday (Monday, June 17), meaning the regulation will now become law throughout the EU.

The NRL aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems “in need of restoration” by 2050.

NRL

In a press conference following the outcome of the vote, Commissioner Sinkevicius said that it “was truly a good day”.

“As you know, this has been a long journey. As we are in the Euros now, we played some extra times even so if we did not want to. But I think that at the end of the day we have managed to win.

“I hope that political, ideological battles are over now. And we will move on into the implementation of this landmark agreement by working closely together with the member states,” he said.

Commissioner Sinkevicius said that the NRL is “supported by citizens, scientists, non-governmental organisation (NGOs), industry, the financial sector, and many other stakeholders”.

“This is a law that will also confirm to our international partners our very clear signal that the EU is serious about its international commitments on biodiversity, and will hopefully inspire others to follow,” he added.

Funding

Meanwhile, an independent TD has said that funding for farmers should have been put in place prior to an agreement being reached on the Nature Restoration Law.

Sligo Leitrim TD Marian Harkin said that there is no dedicated fund at European level to support farmers to comply with the legislation.

“It is not good enough that we have ministers telling us funding will be found in the next EU budget.

“Nobody knows what will be in the next budget, except that there will be more money allocated for defence and security, those will be the big preoccupations at EU level for the foreseeable future,” she said.

The TD added that any national fund for nature restoration must be ring fenced and “not lumped in with other climate change mitigation measures”.

“We need guarantees from the government on this, not just some wishy-washy commitment about being included in a package that will also include electric car charging points, retrofitting and the like, all important things but we need a separate dedicated fund for farmers,” she said.

Deputy Harkin also said that guarantees should have been secured to ensure lands impacted by the law would continue to be eligible for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding.

“The new CAP negotiations are just about to begin and one of the most important issues to be discussed will be land eligibility.

“We will be fighting that battle for the next five to six years when we should have nailed down some of the detail before legislation was agreed,” she said.

The TD raised concerns about the impact on agricultural practices, in particular suckler cow systems, in areas where drained lands are rewetted after 2030.

“There are some very positive aspects to this legislation, but insufficient care was taken in working out some of the detail and the implications for agricultural production in vast parts of Ireland and for farm families and the communities they live in,” Deputy Harkin said.

The government has said any measures undertaken by farmers will be on a voluntary basis and that the use of State lands between now and 2030 will ensure Ireland is compliant with the law.

The post Commissioner: Focus now moves to implementing NRL appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Agriculture was Northern Ireland’s largest emitting sector in 2022, responsible for 29.1% of emissions, the Northern Ireland greenhouse gas inventory has revealed.

In the 1990-2022 inventory published by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) today (Tuesday, June 18), domestic transport was shown to be in second place for overall emissions at 18.1%.

Buildings and product uses and electricity supply sectors contributed 15.3% and 14% respectively.

In 2022, Northern Ireland’s net greenhouse gas emissions were estimated to be 21.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).

This net figure is a result of an estimated 23.2 MtCO2e total emissions, offset by 1.9 MtCO2e of emissions removed through sequestration.

The net figure of 21.3 MtCO2e in 2022 represents a decrease of 3.0% compared with 2021.  The longer-term trend showed a decrease of 26.4% compared with emissions in 1990.

Decrease in emissions

The statistical bulletin on greenhouse gas emissions for Northern Ireland showed that, between 2021 and 2022, all sectors except domestic transport showed a decrease in emissions.

The largest decreases in terms of tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent were in the buildings and product uses (0.4 MtCO2e), agriculture (0.1 MtCO2e) and electricity supply (0.1 MtCO2e) sectors.

In 2022, Northern Ireland contributed 5.3% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions, which stood at 406.2 MtCO2e.

In the UK there has been a 50.2% reduction in emissions between 1990 and 2022.

During the same period, the reduction in emissions in Northern Ireland was 26.4%, compared to 52.6% in England, 51.2% in Scotland and 36.4% in Wales.

The post NI greenhouse gas inventory reveals agriculture as biggest emitter appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A farm walk organised by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) is set to focus on the management of rainwater as a way to improve water quality.

The event will take place tomorrow (Wednesday, June 19) from 2:00-4:00p.m on the Fay family farm in Rathnamuddagh, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath (N91PK74).

The IFA said the farm walk will aim to give farmers a greater insight of the Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Project.

Those attending the farm walk will hear about some of the bespoke measures that can be implemented to preserve and improve water quality on farm.

Farm walk

Representatives from the Farming for Water EIP and Teagasc Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) will address a range of topics, including:

• Targeted source control;
• Pathway interceptor and receptor on-farm measures;
• Rainwater management plans

The event will also provide information and practical demonstration of some of the resources and supports that are available for farmers for use on their own farms.

IFA National Rural Development Chair John Curran said that preserving and improving water quality is a societal challenge that we all must undertake, and take seriously.

“There has been an unprecedented focus, investment and adoption of new measures on farms in recent years to improve and achieve better water quality, but we cannot let up now.

“If anything, we need to double down and amplify our efforts. But it doesn’t have to mean huge change or investment either.

“It’s about the right measures in the right places at the right time and the right rate, to ensure that nutrients are taken up by grass and crops,” he said.

“I hope as many farmers as possible can attend our farm walk on June 19 to see some of these measures in action, and to see potentially what they can do themselves on their own farms,” he added.

“I’d particularly like to thank the Fay family for opening their doors and sharing their journey to date, and to the Farming for Water Project Team and Teagasc ASSAP advisors who will share their knowledge, tips and experiences on the day,” Curran added.

The post Farm walk to examine rainwater management for water quality appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Sligo based Aurivo Co-op has teamed up with Bank of Ireland to launch a sustainability linked loans product for its members.

The Enviroflex scheme was first launched by Bank of Ireland last November and aims to “support farmers who are taking on environmental initiatives on their farms and who are on a journey to reducing their farm’s environmental footprint”.

Aurivo Co-op is the latest co-op/processor to participate in the scheme which also includes Kerry Dairy Ireland and Dairygold.

According to Bank of Ireland Enviroflex is “underpinned” by Bord Bia’s Origin Green Sustainability Programme and the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC).

Aurivo Co-op

Donal Tierney, Aurivo chief executive, said today (Monday, June 17) that Enviroflex loans offer “milk suppliers targeted finance that will support on-farm environmental initiatives and will also help Aurivo meet our environmental targets.”

In order to apply for an Enviroflex loan eligible milk suppliers must be Aurivo Co-op members and participants of the Aurivo Future Milk Programme.

They also need to agree to undertake “a number of sustainable actions” on their farms.

Mark Glennon, Bank of Ireland‘s agri development manager said that since the bank first launched the Enviroflex scheme it has seen “significant demand” from farmers for the product who are looking to enhance their farms sustainability and because of the options it provides them as “they look to boost cashflow and finance on-farm developments”.

“Our aim in developing Enviroflex has always been to make it available to as many farmers as possible across the Irish agriculture industry and to reward farmers for their sustainability actions,” Glennon added.

Some of the key features of the scheme include that the loan amount can range from a minimum of €10,000 to a maximum of €500,000 with flexible repayment terms.

But Bank of Ireland has also stressed that applicants must provide a document as proof of participation in a sustainability scheme and be ready to provide it as part of the loan application.

Under the terms of the scheme refinancing or restructuring of existing Bank of Ireland loans is not permitted and working capital and land purchase is also excluded.

The post Bank of Ireland and Aurivo team up to launch ‘sustainability’ loans appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The adoption of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) “has far reaching implications” for those farming in rural areas of Ireland, a TD has warned.

The Roscommon-Galway TD, Michael Fitzmaurice, believes today (Monday, June 17) is “a black day for Irish Farmers, especially those on peaty soil,” following the vote by the Council of Environment Ministers in Luxembourg.

The NRL aims to put measures in place to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, and all ecosystems “in need of restoration” by 2050.

Deputy Fitzmaurice said: “I have always stated that between now and 2030, the State will be able to manage the transition.

“However, the real problem will emerge post 2030, especially for smaller farmers farming on peaty soil across this country.

“The entire economic and social ecosystem of rural Ireland is in jeopardy”.

He believes some European countries have “capitulated” on the NRL following the European elections and the result will meant that “Irish farmers will bear the brunt of these political decisions.”

He added: “Twelve to fifteen years ago, I cautioned about the Habitats Directive and its consequences.

“Unfortunately, the people of Lough Funshinagh have found out the hard way that a turlough takes priority over their homes and livelihoods – this is bad law.

“Today, I am warning about the nature restoration law. Farmers and the public must understand that we are being gradually shut down.

“So, if that’s voluntary I’d hate to see compulsory legislation because farmers cannot survive without their CAP payment.”

Nature Restoration Law

Separately the Independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Carol Nolan, today described the NRL law as the “last sting of a dying green wasp”.

According to Deputy Nolan the EU elections made it ‘abundantly clear’ that the people of the European union member states were “sick and tired of having mandatory, so-called, green polices rammed down their throat”.

“Despite this resounding rejection we are now stuck with the legislative ghost of Greens past with a restoration law that will create nothing but high levels of future uncertainty and the imposition of yet another raft of mandatory objectives.

“Farmers and food security are not served by a law whose outcomes will only make it harder to produce sufficient amounts of produce on less and less land reserved exclusively for agriculture,” she said.

The post TDs warn of impact of Nature Restoration Law on Irish farms appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The passing of the EU Nature Restoration Law by the EU Council of environment ministers has been described as ‘monumental’ for nature by the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT).

The Nature Restoration Law, which aims to restore 20% of EU land and 20% of EU seas, was finally passed into law today (Monday June 17) after months of negotiation.

The IWT has welcomed the move stating: “This is a monumental moment for nature as this law is one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation in 30 years and has legally binding targets for effective restoration of EU ecosystems.”

General manager at the Irish Wildlife Trust, Kieran Flood added: “This is a huge win for nature. People have been calling for immediate action to help protect and restore nature in Ireland and this law will finally put in concrete measures to achieve this.”

Nature Restoration Law

The law had gone through trilogue negotiations between the EU Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission and a final text was agreed upon by all three institutions at the end of 2023.

In February of this year, MEPs voted in favour but then in March, Hungary decided to change its position and reject the law.

This meant that there was no longer a qualified majority of EU citizens by member state supporting the law. A qualified majority means 65% of the EU population is in favour.

Marine advocacy officer for IWT, Grace Carr said: “This is the moment we have been working on and waiting for for years now. It’s extremely encouraging that the council [has] kept [its] word and finally voted to approve the law.

“Now the work starts on creating national restoration plans and effectively implementing the law.

“This will bring nature back to the EU and protect ecosystems and people from the damaging effects of climate change and biodiversity loss.”

Birdwatch reaction to Nature Restoration Law

Meanwhile, Birdwatch Ireland has responded to the passing of the law by describing it as “a turning point for Europe’s nature and its citizens”.

The majority of countries voted in favour of the law, with only six countries – Italy, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden – voting against it.

Austria and Slovakia, countries which had previously voiced doubts about the legislation, changed their position ahead of today’s meeting, allowing the law to meet the threshold of support required for it to be passed.

BirdWatch Ireland has said that together with all of its BirdLife partners across Europe, it sees today’s outcome as a “great cause for celebration and the first step towards a better future for Europe’s nature, climate and citizens”.

CEO of BirdWatch Ireland, Linda Lennon said: “The passing of the Nature Restoration Law marks a historic moment, a symbol that European countries are committed to facing our climate, habitat and biodiversity crises as a collective that is committed to a science-based approach.”

Birdwatch Ireland has said that now that the legislation has been formally approved, Ireland and other member states will be required to draft national restoration plans and lay out in detail how they plan to reach the targets proposed.

BirdWatch Ireland’s head of policy and advocacy, Oonagh Duggan added: “Now the Irish government can start the process of creating Ireland’s Nature Restoration Plan with all stakeholders.

“It is critical that the government ensures that adequate funding is provided to support all entities in their efforts to restore 20% of land and sea by 2030.

“This is an exciting time for Ireland to help us to be more resilient to the effects of a changing climate and to restore important populations of wild birds and pollinators as well as the habitats they need.”

The organisation stated that in Ireland, 85% of our internationally important and protected habitats are in poor condition.

As these habitats become degraded, not only do they become uninhabitable for the plants and animals that rely on them, their many ecosystem services are also greatly diminished, according to BirdWatch.

When in a healthy condition, peatlands store carbon, wetlands hold flood water, dune systems serve as protective barriers against flooding and coastal erosion, it added.

Birdwatch concluded by stating: “Considering the climate and biodiversity crises we are currently facing, it is vital that we restore these extremely valuable habitats back to their full health.”

The post Passing of Nature Restoration Law ‘monumental moment’ – IWF appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Farmers believe they should receive payment for measures leading to improvement in water quality, either as payment for environmental performance or through grant schemes according to new research published today (Monday, June 17) .

The research, carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), examined farmers’ “willingness to comply with specific Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) advice”.

The programme is a free and confidential advisory service for farmers operating within 190 Priority Areas for Action (PAAs) identified under the River Basin Action Plan. 

According to the ESRI the key objective of the research project was “to gauge farmers’ willingness to mitigate the risks of water pollution in line with ASSAP advice” via an online survey.

The result of this survey – which targeted farmers engaged with ASSAP advisors – asked farmers about what they would do in nine scenarios that could potentially arise on their farms.

According to the ESRI the survey was completed by 162 of the 1663 farmers who were invited to participate which is a response rate of 10%, researchers said that “comparatively low response rates are not uncommon in farmer surveys”.

Water quality

The ESRI report: Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and intentions towards water quality and pollution risk mitigation actions showed that there was a “high willingness” to implement ASSAP advice, with a 75% priority implementation rate across the different scenarios

One of these included silage effluent leaking from a pit and ultimately draining into a stream and all farmers “indicated a willingness to fix the problem”, but one quarter of the respondents indicated it would take them a month or longer before addressing the problem.

The ESRI report stated: “The willingness to implement, or willingness to implement in a timely manner, varies across types of mitigation.

“In scenarios comprising a risk of diffuse pollution where mitigation actions are more difficult to verify, the average stated compliance rate of ASSAP advice is almost 100%”.

Across the nine scenarios posed, the most common reason given by farmers for willingness to implement ASSAP advice was that “it’s a high environmental risk and needs attention”. 

“A concern about cross-compliance issues also motivates farmers’ intentions, which demonstrates that the risk of the financial penalty clearly influences farmers’ decisions,” the ESRI added.

However the new report also highlighted that only one in two farmers believe that water pollution is a relevant issue in their local area.

The ESRI outlined: “Almost two in three farmers believe that they are already doing enough to protect water quality.

“Considering that the ASSAP programme specifically operates in water catchments where agricultural pressure on water quality has been identified, such a relatively low level of acknowledgement that agriculture is a leading source of nutrient loads in local water catchments is a concern.”

According to the institute the “overwhelming viewpoint” among farmers is that they should receive payment for measures leading to improvement in water quality.

The ESRI also highlighted that this approach “contrasts with the philosophy of the ASSAP programme, which is a voluntary advice scheme without any associated financial payments”.

“If beliefs on financial payments are strongly held, i.e., that some type of payment is necessary, it raises a concern about the extent to which farmers will fully engage with the ASSAP programme and thereby adjust practices to deliver improvements in water quality,” the research report details.

The post New research shows farmers want ‘payment’ for water quality measures appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The stalling and delay by the Council of the EU in adopting the Nature Restoration Law has been described as “a piece of pre-election political theatre” by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).

After seemingly being in limbo for almost three months, the law has now been formally adopted by the Council of the EU, following a meeting of environment ministers this morning (Monday, June 17).

The adoption of the regulation means that it will shortly become law across the EU, as the European Parliament adopted the law back in February, following the results of trilogue negotiations between representatives of the council and the parliament last November.

Reacting, IFA president Francie Gorman said that that passage of the law this morning “was no great surprise” now that the European Parliament elections are over.

“It was always likely that the law would pass once the EU elections were over. Farmers will see the post-trilogue stalling of this law by member states as a piece of pre-election political theatre,” he said.

According to Gorman, there is still considerable concern over what the law will require of farmers and what its impact on farm productivity will be.

“The approach by the commission to bring in a law on this area rather than a properly-funded, EU-wide, voluntary scheme is totally wrong. The reality is that there is a huge amount of uncertainty about how this law is going to be interpreted at member state level,” he said.

“No national impact assessment has been carried out and we have no idea how it will impact on food production, and ultimately on food security.”

Gorman went on the criticise Ireland for backing the law in the council.

“The Irish government was wrong to support the introduction of this law without the completion of an impact assessment and a dedicated budget to support its implementation,” he said.

“A huge amount of work is now needed on how this law will be implemented in Ireland. I want to make it clear that the IFA will not stand for farmers’ property rights or their right to farm their land being undermined,” the IFA president added.

The vote by the council on the Nature Restoration Law, which was originally supposed to be held on March 25 but was postponed as a number of member states withdrew support for the law, was finally held today.

One member state, Austria, flipped its position to supporting the controversial law, allowing it to be passed by meeting the required qualified majority.

In a qualified majority, 15, or in some case 20, member states have to be in agreement, and those countries have to account for 65% of the EU’s population.

20 member states voted in favour, including Ireland, accounting for just over 66% of the EU’s population. Only six member states (Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden) voted against, while one, Belgium, abstained.

The post Stalling of Nature Restoration Law ‘pre-election political theatre’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Minister of State with responsibility for nature, Malcolm Noonan has reassured farmers that any schemes under the now formally adopted Nature Restoration Law (NRL) will be “entirely voluntary”.

The law, which sets legally binding targets and obligations for nature restoration across ecosystems, including agricultural, has received the final green light by EU environment ministers today (Monday, June 17).

The NRL, as agreed between member states and the Council of the EU, requires member states to establish and implement measures to restore at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030.

Speaking to Agriland following the final adoption of the law, Minister Noonan said that the NRL will have “no effect” on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments, and added:

“Restoring nature at scale across Europe and in Ireland is going to make for more resilient food systems, better water quality and a better ability to have productive farms and restore nature on farms.

“We also have said and I again reiterate the point that any schemes that farmers wish to be involved in will be entirely voluntary.”

Under the law, member states must plan ahead and submit national restoration plans to the European Commission to show how they will deliver on the targets, including for the restoration of drained peatlands.

Ireland’s restoration plan

Work has already started on a participatory stakeholder engagement process to support the development of the plan, with the intention to have it in place for 2026, in line with the Climate and Nature Fund.

The development of Ireland’s nature restoration plan will include “intense” engagement with farmers, according to the minister who stressed that the plan has to be designed to work with and for farmers.

The €14 billion Climate and Nature Fund will invest in the transition to a low-carbon economy, with €3.15 billion being set aside specifically to invest in environmental projects between 2026 and 2030, including under the NRL.

While the “commitment” of Irish funding under the Climate and Nature Fund is already in place, Minister Noonan said there needs to be an EU nature restoration fund which is separate to the CAP.

During discussions on the law this morning, a number of member states insisted that there be additional funds through the EU’s long-term budget or multiannual financial framework (MFF), according to the minister.

Minister Noonan acknowledged that tens of thousands of farmers across Ireland are already restoring nature through the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), EU LIFE projects, and European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs).

“So many farmers are already enthusiastically working on schemes to restore nature, so I think this [national nature restoration plan] is an extension and a continuation of that,” Minister Noonan said.

He added that meetings with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) and other organisations have already taken place in that regard.

NRL

The regulation will now be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force. The NRL will become directly applicable in all member states.

By 2033, the commission will review the application of the regulation and its impacts on the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as its wider socio-economic effects.

Both Minister Noonan and Green Party colleague, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan welcomed the final approval of the NRL in the council today.

The two ministers previously initiated a decisive letter signed by 11 member states calling on other member states to join them in adopting the proposed law to restore nature.

“Now our job is to ensure that there are adequate funds and supports in place to ensure that the people at the very coalface of nature protection are well paid and that their livelihoods are also protected,” Minister Ryan said in Luxembourg.

Minister Noonan said Ireland has demonstrated “real leadership” on nature restoration throughout the process, with 12 of Ireland’s 13 MEPs voting in favour of the NRL in February.

“The government has also supported the Nature Restoration Law at every step, as has the Dáil – members voted 121 to 9 in favour of nature restoration last year,” Minister Noonan said.

“Farmers are the frontline heroes in climate action. We want to work collaboratively to restore nature and to ensure that farmers and rural communities are well rewarded and can thrive. This is what the NRL is all about,” Minister Ryan added.

The post NRL: Minister reassures farmers that any schemes will be voluntary appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Nature Restoration Law has been adopted by the Council of the EU following a vote by member states’ environment ministers.

It means that the regulation has been ratified and will become law across the EU.

The vote, which was originally supposed to be held on March 25 but was postponed as a number of member states withdrew support for the law, was finally held today (Monday, June 17).

One member state, Austria, flipped its position to supporting the controversial law, allowing it to be passed by meeting the required qualified majority.

In a qualified majority, 15, or in some case 20, member states have to be in agreement, and those countries have to account for 65% of the EU’s population.

20 member states voted in favour, accounting for just over 66% of the EU’s population. Only six member states (Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden) voted against, while one, Belgium, abstained.

The law was ratified by the European Parliament in February, and it was thought that the Council of the EU would follow suit in March.

However, some member states withdrew support for the law at the last minute, meaning it would not reach the required qualified majority, resulting in the planned vote on March 25 being indefinitely postponed.

The law has been in limbo until today. However, that has now changed.

The law was included on the agenda of the Council of EU environment ministers meeting today as a topic for discussion, and while a vote had not been officially scheduled ahead of the meeting, the ministers decided to hold a vote as it appeared from today’s talks that it had sufficient support.

The text of the Nature Restoration Law law sets a target to restore 20% of all EU land by 2030, and all ecosystems that need restoration by 2050. This will include peatlands under agricultural use.

There is a specific target to restore 30% of drained peatlands under agricultural use by 2030, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050.

The law has been universally criticised by farm organisations and politicians with rural and farmer-based platforms, who claim it will take land out of production, impact farm payments, and add to the already heavy regulatory burden on farmers.

Environmental groups and ‘green’ politicians in Ireland and Europe, on the other hand, wholeheartedly support the law, claiming that it is necessary to reverse biodiversity loss and meet climate change mitigation targets.

The Irish government has continuously supported the law, with Green Party leader and Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, and his party colleague and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, recently writing to environment ministers in other member states to call on them to adopt the law at today’s meeting.

The post Nature Restoration Law passed after environment ministers vote appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Protected urea is urea nitrogen (N) fertiliser made safe from ammonia loss through the addition of a urease inhibitor.

Despite the fact that protected urea can grow more grass than either calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) or urea, it can also give the quickest reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions within agriculture.

With the unpredictability in weather, the price of fertiliser, and the new constraints around how much fertiliser you can use, choosing the most effective fertiliser has never been more important.

With the introduction of the National Fertiliser Database (NFD), farmers had to complete a closing stock of fertiliser left on the farm on September 14, and had a month after that date to submit these records online.

Co-ops have to make regular returns to the database of the herd numbers that bought fertiliser, the date, type and amount of fertiliser purchased.

This monitoring and data collection has raised concerns amongst farmers who fear the possibility of exceeding their fertiliser limits.

With this in mind, it is important for farmers to understand the role of protected urea, understand their fertiliser limits and what to apply to allow for maximum growth.

Grass growth

In short-term Teagasc trials, the quantity of grass grown by using CAN, protected urea and urea was similar across all fertiliser types.

However, protected urea grew 13% more grass on average compared to standard urea in a long-term trial at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford. In the same trial, CAN yielded 9% more than standard urea.

From the trial illustrated above, protected urea and CAN had greater responses in growth rates in six out of the seven years of the trial, with 2018 being the exception due to drought when water was the limiting factor not nitrogen. 

The cost of protected urea

Protected urea is cheaper than CAN per kg of N, and it is more expensive than standard urea (on a per tonne basis).

However, it will give the same effective N for the plant as standard urea, at a 12% lower spreading rate as N losses from standard urea are significantly higher.

Protected urea is the cheapest option. The value of retaining N that had previously been lost as urea has increased substantially with increasing fertiliser costs.

Also with the new NFD and limits on N usage, it makes more sense to use less of a more effective product.

The relative cost of an application of N using different fertiliser types has been provided by Teagasc, as follows:

The reason for 57kg N/spread of standard urea is because it is the equivalent quantity of N needed to achieve the same plant available N, allowing for the extra losses with standard urea.

As a general rule of thumb, there is the same of amount of N in three tonnes of protected urea (46%) as there is in five tonnes of CAN (27%).

Based on February 2024 figures, three tonnes of protected urea will cost €1,650, while five tonnes of CAN will cost approximately €1,940 for the same amount of actual N.

Protected urea has been calculated to have 71% lower nitrous oxide emissions than CAN, proving that it has a key role to play nationally in terms of being an easy strategy of reducing GHG emissions.

By using protected urea, you will be contributing to the ammonia reduction targets for agriculture as it significantly reduces the calculated ammonia emissions by 78% compared to straight urea.

Application

Farmers can use protected urea from January to early September, which is a big advantage of the fertiliser.

The fertiliser is most effective in the spring time during damp conditions – during the summer months, it releases N slower and more effectively than CAN due to the inclusion of the urease inhibitor.

Due to the higher N content, the application rate will be lower than CAN and the fertiliser density is also lower for urea fertiliser versus CAN, which makes it more difficult to spread at wider bout widths.

However, larger and stronger granules indicate that fertiliser is of better quality. Protected urea has the potential to draw more moisture which can lead to issues with your spreader if it is not washed out properly after use.

It is important before you spread any form of fertiliser, that you set the spreader accordingly to match the fertiliser’s quality on the spreader manufacturer’s database which will assess size and strenght.

You can use the manufacturer’s app to determine the bout or width capabilty and the spreader settings from disc vane to hopper height and angle to ensure accurate spreading.

The post How effective is protected urea in grassland swards? appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Tenders have been sought for the provision of a soil sampling and analysis programme for the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM).

This is a one year contract and is expected to cost €6 million, excluding VAT.

The soil sampling programme is a farm level soil sampling and analysis initiative which will provide farmers and their advisors with comprehensive details about the nutrient status of their soils, soil carbon and soil health indicators on their farms.

The results can then be used to target soil management and farming practices to achieve economic and environmental sustainability on their farms.

In lieu of payment each farmer will receive the analysis reports with information on macro- and micro- nutrients, soil carbon and indications of the presence harmful bacteria.

Soil sampling programme

Information collected through the programme is used to enable better monitoring of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at a national and regional level.

Participation for the programme is voluntary and it is open to all regions and farming enterprises.

Land declared under the 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application is eligible to be tested.

The sampling area should not exceed 4ha, except where soil types and cropping of lands were similar during the previous five years.

A sample area of up to 5ha shall be deemed acceptable, subject to a maximum of 16 samples per farm.

Tenders

Teagasc is also currently seeking tenders for the construction of a calf shed and contracting services at two of its farms.

The agriculture and food development authority is planning to build a calf rearing facility at the Johnstown Castle Beef Research Farm located in Co. Wexford.

An estimated cost for the project is not given but tender documents show that the building will not be financed with European Union funds.

The deadline for the receipt of tenders for this project is 5:00p.m on May 27, 2024.

The post Tenders sought for soil sampling and analysis programme appeared first on Agriland.ie.

People “cannot go down a rural lane without getting the stench of a septic tank” which makes the issue one of the “biggest challenges” currently facing rural Ireland, according to one TD.

The Fianna Fáil TD for Longford-Westmeath, Joe Flaherty, told the Dáil this week that septic tanks are a “major environmental” issue for rural communities and has called for a “reversal of the current guidelines” governing the septic tank grant scheme.

Earlier this year the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, confirmed an increase in the grants available for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (septic tanks) from €5,000 to €12,000.

But Deputy Flaherty said that at the moment to be eligible to apply, a home must have been pre-selected as part of the national inspection plan or be in a high-status objective catchment area or a priority area for action. 

He added: “I appreciate that the State cannot pay for everybody, but the criteria and the process have to be made much easier for people to seek out the grant.

“Moreover, householders, many of whom are elderly, have to pay in advance for the works and then recoup the grants, which is a further deterrent.”

Septic tanks

The Fianna Fáil TD for Longford-Westmeath also highlighted that while farmers are being “hammered” on the nitrates issue and on water quality there are at the same time “500,000 septic tanks in every county, parish and area across rural Ireland, many of which are defective”.

“If we are serious about the environment, and we have made it a pillar of this Government that are serious about the environment, we need to make a strategic decision and act now on septic tanks. It is an investment in the future.

“It is a small price to pay,” Deputy Flaherty added.

In response to the deputy Minister of State, Thomas Byrne, said the purpose of the septic tank grants is to provide financial assistance to households for works to protect human health and the environment and to help Ireland meet its commitments under the river basin management plan.

Minister Byrne added: “The grant support being provided is focused on the areas of greatest environmental priority to protect human health and the environment and is not general in application.

“Grant support is available for households where there are identified water pollution risks. However, it should be noted that, under the Water Services Act, the owner of a system is responsible for its maintenance and for keeping it in good repair.”

The post TD warns of ‘stench’ of septic tanks down country lanes appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Next Monday (June 17) is a potential make-or-break day for the contentious Nature Restoration Law, with EU environment ministers to hold crunch talks that may result in its final adoption and ratification.

Following the ratification of the law by the European Parliament in February, it had been expected that the Council of the EU would follow suit in March, which would have been the final green light.

However, some member states withdrew support for the law at the last minute, meaning it would not reach the required qualified majority, resulting in the planned vote on March 25 being indefinitely postponed (in a qualified majority, 15, or in some case 20, member states have to be in agreement, and those countries have to account for 65% of the EU’s population).

The law has been in limbo ever since, with no further votes scheduled. However, this might all change on Monday.

The law has been included on the agenda of the Council of EU environment ministers meeting as a topic for discussion, and Agriland understands that, while a vote has not been scheduled at this point, the ministers may decide there and then, based on the mood of their discussion, to take a vote.

A meeting of member state representatives (administrate rather than ministerial or political representatives) met today (Friday, June 14) to prepare the work of Monday’s council meeting.

Sources said that this meeting found that there is still no qualified majority for the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law.

For that reason, the Nature Restoration Law agenda item for the meeting was downgraded to a discussion item.

However, it was agreed that, although holding a vote on its adoption is not legally required, the chairperson of the council (who is the Belgian minister, as Belgium currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU) may decide to hold a vote if it appears from discussions that there is sufficient support for the law to be adopted.

The text of the law sets a target to restore 20% of all EU land by 2030, and all ecosystems that need restoration by 2050. This will include peatlands under agricultural use.

There is a specific target to restore 30% of drained peatlands under agricultural use by 2030, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050.

The law has been universally criticised by farm organisations and politicians with rural and farmer-based platforms, who claim it will take land out of production, impact farm payments, and add to the already heavy regulatory burden on farmers.

Environmental groups and ‘green’ politicians in Ireland and Europe, on the other hand, wholeheartedly support the law, claiming that it is necessary to reverse biodiversity loss and meet climate change mitigation targets.

The Irish government has continuously supported the law, with Green Party leader and Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan, and his party colleague and Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, recently writing to environment ministers in other member states to call on them to adopt the law at Monday’s meeting.

The post Nature Restoration Law: Crunch talks on Monday with vote possible appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A “decline in water quality is putting Ireland’s clean and green image at risk, according to the draft Water Action Plan 2024.

The plan is Ireland’s third River Basin Management Plan and it outlines the measures the Government and other sectors are taking to “improve water quality” in Ireland’s groundwater, rivers, lakes, estuarine and coastal waters.

It also contains a “roadmap” to restore waterbodies to the equivalent of good status or better and to protect water from any further deterioration.

This third cycle plan sets out how Ireland will manage its water resources and catchments up to 2027.

The draft Water Action Plan 2024 also details that where the environmental objectives of good or better status for waterbodies have not been achieved by the end of cycle two the deadline has been extended to 2027.

According to the plan despite the fundamental changes made to the river basin management approach in Ireland, “progress in restoring impacted waters and protecting waters from deterioration has been slow”.

It also outlines that some water bodies are “very unlikely to achieve their status objectives by 2027”.

Water Action Plan

“It is unlikely that Ireland will achieve all of these objectives even with urgent, substantial and widely adopted measures.

“Measures have been put in place for all waterbodies and a process has been initiated to put in place additional targeted midcycle measures, where necessary,” according to the plan.

It also states that if certain waterbodies do not show an improved status then the deadline to achieve this “will be extended to beyond 2027 to take account of the natural conditions and recovery processes as well as the monitoring process in the fourth cycle (2027-2033).”

The Government’s key objective will be to achieve as close to 100% of the water status objectives by 2027, as possible.

But the draft Water Action Plan 2024 also highlights that it is likely that the deadline for a proportion of waterbodies “to recover” will need to be phased over a more sustainable timeframe of one or more river basin management cycles beyond 2027.

It details that this is because “it would be technically infeasible and or disproportionately expensive to achieve any sooner”.

The post Deadlines for water action targets could be extended if they are ‘infeasible’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Methane inhibitors must work in both a confined feeding and grazing scenario if ruminant agriculture is to meet its climate change targets.

This was one of the key points highlighted at the recent Northern Ireland Institute of Agricultural Science (NIIAS) annual conference.

The event addressed the role of science in delivering a more sustainable farming and food sector.

Dr. Alistair Carson, chief scientist with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed that the feed additives currently available will deliver up to 30% reduction in methane emission levels within feed bunk environment.

He went to on to highlight ongoing research, involving both the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and Teagasc, looking at the development of effective methane reduction options within a grazing context.

“But we must see a very large uptake in this technology, across the entire sector, if methane inhibiting technology is to make a meaningful difference in helping agriculture to secure its climate change targets,” Carson further explained.

Developing methane inhibition technology is one thing, incentivising famers to use it is another, equally important challenge.

Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) policy officer, Aileen Lawson spoke at the conference. She confirmed that some European Union (EU) member states are proposing to subsidise farmers by up to €60/ha linked to the confirmed use of methane inhibitors.

UFU president, William Irvine stressed the importance for the investment made by farmers in new technologies, including the use of methane inhibitors, to be fully recognised.

“Farmers must be properly reimbursed. So either the state supports the adaption of these new systems or the markets deliver sustainable prices back to the primary producer,” he explained.

“If this does not happen, then the very future of the farming and food sectors will be put at risk.”

Alistair Carson confirmed that science can deliver enhanced levels of food security and sustainability in equal measure.

“Global population increase is a reality, as is the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that has been generated over the past century,” he commented.

“Agriculture must be allowed to enhance its food production capacity.

“But the emission targets laid down within climate change are fixed. These are absolute figures, which are very unlikely to be changed over the coming years.

“So the farming sectors must manage to increase food output while still securing significant reductions in total greenhouse gas emission levels.”   

The post Methane inhibitors must work in a grazing context appeared first on Agriland.ie.

“The Green Deal ain’t going away,” according to Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan.

He made the comments at the ‘Ireland Biomethane Pathway to 2030’ conference at Croke Park yesterday (Wednesday, June 12), where he also highlighted the relevance of biomethane strategies and the European Green Deal.

He discussed its significance for European economic competitiveness, food security, and environmental protection.

Minister Ryan stressed the need for a significant influx of private capital to achieve the objectives set forth by the Green Deal.

“The real question now is, where is the money going to come from?,” the minister said.

“That’s going to be the real issue in the new commission and the new parliament because to meet our objectives, to provide security, to provide competitiveness, to meet our environmental targets, we’re going to require a massive capital injection.”

The minister detailed Ireland’s commitment to biomethane production as a key component of the country’s climate strategy.

He outlined a target for Ireland on this: generating one terawatt-hour (TwH) of renewable gas by the end of next year and 5.7TwH by 2030.

“We have the various conditions to make it work,” Minister Ryan said, indicating that several projects are ready to commence, pending planning permissions.

The minister also discussed environmental considerations and the importance of protecting water quality and air quality to ensure sustainable biomethane production.

“First things first, we protect water quality in any such developments,” the minister said, warning against potential issues such as ammonia pollution from increased intensive farming practices.

Minister Ryan also discussed the strategic use of Ireland’s grassland system in biomethane production, combining it with slurry and other feedstocks.

This approach aims to reduce reliance on artificial nitrogen (N) fertilisers and improve environmental outcomes.

“You’re in a win-win positive feedback loop,” he said.

Minister Ryan

The minister discussed the need for medium-term certainty in funding to attract investment for anaerobic digestion (AD) plants and to ensure the stability of the industry.

“We’re going to provide capital grants support firstly from the RePower EU €40 million,” he continued.

“If you’re looking for investment to come in, you have to give medium-term certainty. It’s not just a year-by-year budget.”

Additionally, Minister Ryan highlighted the introduction of a Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) aimed at increasing the use of renewable heat sources.

“We’ve done it before in the transport sector, so we know how to do it. We know that this sort of renewable heat scheme works. We need to be fast here,” Minister Ryan concluded.

The post ‘The Green Deal ain’t going away’ – Minister Eamon Ryan appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A further extension to the date by which lime must be spread under the National Liming Programme has been announced by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue today (Wednesday, June 12).

Lime purchased under the scheme can now be spread until Thursday, October 31. This means the deadline has been pushed out by a further four months (the previous liming deadline was June 28) due to poor soil trafficability.

The decision comes after Minister McConalogue previously ruled out any further extension to the deadline, which initially had been on October 31, 2023, but was extended until March 31, 2024, and again until June 28 due to wet weather.

Announcing the decision today, however, the minister said that while he had hoped the previous extension would allow ground conditions improve to allow the spreading of lime, soil trafficability has not improved sufficiently in some parts of the country.

“Information from quarries estimates that a little over 30% of pre-paid lime has been spread to date, with this figure being lower in certain parts of the country.

“With the previous deadline fast approaching, I am extending the spreading date until the end of October to give all farmers the opportunity to apply lime as per the conditions of the scheme,” Minister McConalogue said.

However, there will be no further extension beyond the deadline on October 31 as balancing payments are required to be processed and made in 2024, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

The National Liming Programme was introduced by the minister in spring 2023 to incentivise the use of lime as a natural soil conditioner, which corrects soil acidity, makes nutrients more available for plant uptake and improves overall soil health.

Over 14,500 claims were submitted under the programme with advance payments issued to farmers in December 2023. Payments were conditional on the purchase of lime no later than November 7, 2023.

Subsequently, participants were required to spread the purchased lime before the liming deadline at the end of June. However, this date has now been extended until Thursday, October 31, 2024.

The post Liming deadline extended further until October 31 appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said the government will not change its “absolute commitment” to retaining the nitrates derogation, despite latest water quality statistics.

The minister’s comments come after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that there was “no significant change in any of the water quality indicators” for Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwaters in 2023.

In its ‘Water Quality in 2023: An Indicators Report’ published today (Wednesday, June 12), the EPA identified the “biggest issue impacting water quality” last year as nutrient pollution from agriculture and wastewater.

When asked by Agriland about the latest EPA statistics at the 2024 Biomethane Conference held by the Renewable Gas Forum Ireland (RGFI) at Croke Park today, Minister McConalogue said:

“It doesn’t change in terms of the government commitment to supporting everyone to continue with the work of improving water [quality], nor our absolute commitment to retain the derogation.”

The government is also committed to work at European level to “convince” member states of the particular circumstances in Ireland and the work being undertaken, as well as our commitment to improving water quality, the minister said.

“There is every reason in Ireland why we should be able to have a derogation,” because the utilisation of nutrients in terms of growing and soil capacity is different from the norm and many other European countries, he said.

‘No place for reduction scheme’

Commenting on the latest EPA statistics in relation to Ireland’s water quality, Minister McConalogue reiterated that a reduction in livestock numbers is “absolutely” off the table and that he does not see “any place” for a reduction scheme.

While there has been an increase in the bovine population overall in Ireland since the abolition of the milk quota, this has “plateaued” over the last few years, according to the minister who said it is important that we use our capacity to produce food.

“We are not a heavily stocked country in terms of per hectare [population] compared to many other EU countries and we have great capacity to produce food through livestock here,” Minister McConalogue said.

All livestock sectors and the tillage sector have to make sure that nutrient use does not impact on water quality, he said, and stressed that managing nutrients well and protecting water quality is essential to keeping the derogation.

Water quality

“What is really important is that we do take the various steps that can deliver those improvements [and] supporting farmers to do so to make sure we have a robust system and that everyone is taking their part.

“Then there is the political engagement at European level to convince other member states and assure [them] that we have taken a robust approach that will deliver results and to seek their support for maintaining the derogation,” he said.

Minister McConalogue highlighted that there has already been a 30% reduction in the use of chemical fertiliser on farms in the last two years, and that some of the rules around spreading organic manure have been tightened.

A lot of the work has been ongoing, the minister said referencing the recently launched Better Farming for Water campaign to step up further engagement with farmers and to make sure we are taking all of the steps we can to improve water quality.

Acknowledging that there needs to be more done to improve water quality, he said some of the measures taken need time to show their impact. He also stressed the importance of water quality improvements in urban wastewater.

The post Govt committed to retaining derogation despite water quality report – minister appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Farmers are “doing a lot” and “we have to ask farmers to do more” when it comes to agriculture and water, the chief inspector at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) highlighted today (Wednesday, June 12).

But Bill Callanan told the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Conference 2024, taking place in Galway today, that there has been a recognition over the last 12 months among the farming community and industry of the “need to deliver in terms of water quality”.

According to Callanan there are now three key policy drivers “in moving the dial in terms of water quality” and he identified these as regulation, incentive and support.

“Ireland is unique in terms of its agricultural system across Europe and across many parts of the world nowadays,” he said.

“It’s very much pasture based, we’re give or take about 90% grassland about 6% or 7% arable and a there’s value in that grassland in terms of looking from a greenhouse gas (GHG) point of view, in terms of production of feed.

“For example, across Europe you’re looking at about 50% arable 50% grassland compared to here,” he said.

According to Callanan the relative level of intensity is not high, or the relative size and Ireland primarily has a family farm model based around pasture that is “postive” from a biodiversity point of view and in relation to landscape diversity and animal welfare.

Water quality

But he also told the EPA conference delegates today that while Ireland may be unique in terms of its production system, it is “not unique” in terms of the targets it needs to meet.

Callanan said this is particularly relevant in relation to targets set by the European Commission and encouraged everyone to “recognise” that.

He stressed that in the last couple of years there has been “huge engagement” on the issue of water quality in Ireland and that there needs to be a continued “collaborative” approach to address current challenges.

DAFM”s chief inspector detailed a number of the measures that have been introduced from a regulatory point of view and on-farm actions.

“We’ve had a significant line decline in chemical nitrogen and let’s call a spade a spade, that was initially driven by price but people have evolved in terms of their management practice to recognise that we can run systems with lower fertiliser.

“The herd number in total is, give or take, stable since about 2017 but within that we did have a growth in dairy numbers and a diminishment in suckler numbers .

“What we’re seeing now is that growth in dairy has effectively ceased and there is a continued decline in the suckler herd but the overall herd is slightly down currently,” Callanan detailed.

He also discussed the impact of dairy cow banding and how the current Nitrates Action Programme operates, the implications of the fertiliser database, slurry movement and soil sampling on water quality targets.

Derogation

Callanan also dealt with the ongoing debate over the nitrates derogation and water quality and said that in relation to derogation, DAFM was continuing to advise farmers where they stand on this and “where they fit in relation to the map”.

“It is better that farmers understand why they have to do a certain management practice and what impact it has on the water quality locally,” he continued.

“I’ve been engaging with the EPA looking at how their pressure maps can be converted into something that we might give farmers to give them a better understanding as a key priority,” he added.

He also highlighted to delegates today in Galway that the need to maintain the nitrates derogation is “a significant driver and an important element for dairy farmers” and also at national level because of the value of agriculture output.

“Agriculture is a huge part of the rural economy so it is important in that context. The European Commission’s clear guidance is that if water quality is less than good, the commission wants to see an improvement.

“I have cautioned people in terms of understanding that in terms of a derogation; these are not binary choices – would water quality be solved if you don’t have a derogation?

“I can assure you that this is not the case – I don’t believe that to be the case. It’s all about effective choices in terms of policy.

“For me there are two or three drivers on the importance of the derogation; yes it is important to Irish agriculture and in the absence of a derogation it consequently puts pressure on other land use ambitions that we do have – for example in terms of organics, increasing arable and forestry,” Callanan added.

The post ‘Big appetite’ on farms for improving water quality – DAFM chief inspector appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The “exact mechanism” of the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO), which will support the decarbonisation of the heat sector, will be set out this autumn, Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Communications, Eamon Ryan has said.

The Renewable Heat Obligation will legislate to obligate suppliers of fossil fuels used for heat to ensure a proportion of the energy they supply is renewable, contributing to a reduction in emissions in line with Ireland’s climate ambitions.

The recently published National Biomethane Strategy aims to support the delivery of 5.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of biomethane by 2030. The strategy states that a biomethane sector in Ireland will be funded through the renewable heat obligation.

While the renewable heat obligation is expected to incentivise the use of biomethane in the heating sector, there will also be capital grants provided, the strategy states. These do not include funding from industry, which is also envisaged.

Minister Ryan was speaking at the 2024 Biomethane Conference held by the Renewable Gas Forum Ireland (RGFI) at Croke Park today (Wednesday, June 12), at which the importance of the Renewable Heat Obligation was highlighted by industry.

Renewable heat obligation

The introduction of the obligation allows the building of anaerobic digestion (AD) plants “quicker”, Minister Ryan said but added that heat on its own “will not kick-start the industry”.

That’s where capital grant supports provided by government come in, he said.

Capital grant supports will firstly come from the European Union. The government has sought €40 million in capital funding under Ireland’s application to REPowerEU which is the bloc’s project to improve energy self-sufficiency.

Minister Ryan said there needs to be medium-term certainty given for the development of and investment into an AD sector in Ireland, by switching from REPowerEU funding to Ireland’s Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund.

Some of the surplus corporate tax profits will be diverted to this fund, which is expected to reach €14 billion by 2030.

Of this, €3.17 billion is being set aside for climate and nature projects, including for biomethane production, the minister said.

Heat-intensive sectors such as data centres, the pharmaceutical industry or food production will be willing to pay for biomethane to decarbonise, the minister said but added that it is not just about government support, “there is a business case here”.

Under the Renewable Heat Obligation, an initial introductory rate of 2% was considered whereby suppliers of a 1,000GWh of fossil fuel used for heat would be obligated to demonstrate an initial 2% of the energy they have supplied is from a renewable source.

After a phased introduction, from year four, it is proposed that the annual rate under the obligation increases up to a final target level of 10% by 2030.

A total of 10% of heat demand in 2030 is currently forecasted to be between 2.9TWh-4TWh.

The post Mechanism of Renewable Heat Obligation set out this autumn appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Teagasc has published a report on the impact of its research throughout 2023, with the authority highlighting developments in climate action, potato breeding and the safety of dairy products.

The report, ‘Teagasc Research Impact Highlights in 2023’, outlines some of the new impacts achieved in 2023, as well as the continuing impact of ongoing research.

According to Teagasc, it has developed a specific framework on how to evaluate the impact of its own research.

Commenting on this framework, Teagasc director of research, Prof. Pat Dillon said: “This framework provides a structure to describe how Teagasc’s activities contribute to impact in the agri-food sector through three interconnected impact pathways: technology development and adoption; capacity building; and policy influencing.”

On climate action, Teagasc said that since the launch of its Climate Action Strategy in late 2022, many of its research impacts necessarily pertain to the climate.

The authority said that its impact statement on refining emissions from peat soils has influenced policy by reducing emissions to 3.9MT CO2 equivalent (CO2eq).

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from grassland peat soils were previously estimated at approximately 9MT CO2eq per annum, making this the highest-emitting category from the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector.

This estimate was based on assumptions regarding the drainage status of these soils. Teagasc’s research highlighted the nature of these assumptions and proposed refined emissions estimates, which have been incorporated into the updated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Inventory Report, Teagasc said.

These estimates have “significantly altered the wider understanding of the emission profile and the management of these soils, currently and into the future”, Teagasc claimed.

On sustainable potato breeding, Teagasc said that it provided research to help deal with potato cyst nemotodes (PCN), two species of which have infested 50% of Europe’s potato land area.

With demand for resistant potato varieties increasing, the impact statement on sustainable potato cyst nematode control through targeted breeding contributed to the development of sustainable systems to grow resistant varieties while reducing pesticide use, according to Teagasc.

The authority also said its research contributed to reducing chlorates residues in milk, through its paper on the evaluation of effectiveness of minimum chlorate technologies.

According to Teagasc, this paper contributed to increasing technology development and adoption by evaluating chlorine-free detergents in the dairy industry.

Prof. Dillon commented: “Ensuring our research delivers real impact for our stakeholders is a key priority for Teagasc.

“Teagasc is extremely fortunate to have an outstanding core of scientists, supported by top-class technical, farm, advisory, specialist and administration staff, whose work contributes to our collective research output and impact,” he added.

The post Teagasc outlines research on climate, potato breeding and safety appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A new Water Action Plan is set to be launched in the coming weeks that will “seek to address pressures arising from agriculture through enhanced inspection and enforcement”, the Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Conference 2024 heard today (Wednesday, June 12).

Fintan Towey, assistant secretary water division, with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) told the conference that Minister of State with responsibility for nature, heritage, and electoral reform, Malcolm Noonan, will shortly launch the new Water Action Plan 2024 A River Basin Management Plan for Ireland.

According to Towey, the DHLGH has held “intensive engagement” with key stakeholders to finalise the plan.

He also highlighted that the European Union is the “major driver of policy” in relation to water issues and also the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Ireland.

Addressing delegates at the EPA conference in Galway today, Towey said that “the problem of water pollution is multi-faceted” and that there was no one silver bullet that would deliver a solution.

“Significant progress is being made in advancing the measures that we need to improve water quality but the consequential quality improvements are emerging more slowly than we would like.

“The secret to progress and delivery is a collaborative effort,” he warned.

Water quality

Towey said that the new Water Action Plan will include “a range of actions” that will deliver gains for water quality.

He outlined that the plan is Ireland’s third River Basin Management Plan and sets out the measures that the government and other sectors are taking to improve water quality in groundwater, rivers, lakes, estuarine and coastal waters.

Towey also told delegates at the conference that a key theme of the Water Action Plan 2024 is to protect and improve waterbodies by “implementing the right measure in the right place”.

He said this “targeted proportionate approach” would be underpinned through the development and launch of 46 Catchment Management Work Plans – which will be used to locate measures within each catchment.

According to Towey this is just one of over “150 actions in the plan with most already in the course of implementation and the reminder to commence by the end of this year”.

Specifically in relation to agriculture, he said some of these will address “losses into water of excessive nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus from farmland”.

One of the actions in the Water Action Plan 2024, but scheduled for next year, is that DHLGH and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will “oversee the implementation of the stronger and more targeted Nitrates Action Programme (NAP)”.

Another key action will see “local authorities strengthen the inspection and enforcement relating to agricultural diffuse pollution”.

The plan also details that DAFM will undertake 500 to 1,000 inspections per year under the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) Regulations focused on where the risk of “nutrient impact on water quality is high”.

Inspectors

A total of 57 new inspectors in local authorities have been allocated for the National Agricultural Inspection Programme (NAIP) and five new staff have also been allocated to the EPA to oversee the programme.

According to the Water Action Plan 2024 the department will also publish an Agricultural Sectoral Action Work Plan to “reduce nitrogen losses to waters in areas where levels are increasing or are too high, and to bring nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment losses to water from agricultural sources within sustainable levels by 2027”.

It also details that DAFM will continue to promote water-related policies in relation to forestry including “support measures that have a clear role in relation to the protection of water”.

The post New Water Action Plan to see ‘enhanced inspection’ for agriculture appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan has said he is “confident” that Irish farmers will deliver water quality improvements, in response to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water quality report.

In its Water Quality in 2023: An Indicators Report the EPA identified the “biggest issue impacting water quality” last year as nutrient pollution from agriculture and wastewater.

The report showed that water quality generally in Ireland is not improving and while “some improvements are being made, these are being offset by declines elsewhere”.

The ICMSA president said water quality issues must be dealt with on a “site-specific basis,” instead of what he described as more regulations being placed upon farmers and “unnecessarily undermining the economic viability of farm families”.  

There was “no significant change in any of the water quality indicators” for Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwaters in 2023, according to the EPA report.

On these figures, Drennan said, that while there has been no significant change in water quality, he detailed that “it should be noted that from mid-June 2023, weather conditions deteriorated.

“The second half of the year was extremely wet and the science shows that extreme weather conditions have a negative impact on water quality which should be factored into the data and commentary,” he added.

Achieving better water quality

Responding to the release of the report, Drennan has said that “a collaborative approach” with industry and government support is requires to work with farmers to achieve better water quality.

Drennan said “farmers have and are continuing to make significant changes”.

Referring to the usage of chemical nitrogen being “31% lower than 2018 levels,” Drennan said he was “confident that water quality will show improvements in the coming years taking account of the time lag factor in water quality improvement”.

Drennan called for “a balanced approach to water quality issues” and referred to a “contradiction” in the EPA report.

He said the EPA statement “calls for ‘full compliance with the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations'” but is “asking Uisce Éireann for an acceleration ‘in delivering improvements in wastewater infrastructure'”.

The ICMSA president said: “The contradiction here is obvious and Uisce Éireann should have to meet the same standard as farmers and not be given 20 years to get their house in order.”

“The government need to address this contradiction and we cannot continue to load regulation on farmers to the point of putting them out of business while a state agency with €1.3 billion revenues is given special treatment,” Drennan added.

The post ICMSA is ‘confident’ farmers will deliver water quality improvements appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Teagasc Environment, Soils and Land Use Research Centre at Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford will host an open day focused on sustainability next month.

The event entitled, ‘Farming for a Better Future 2024’, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, July 16, was officially launched this week.

The open day will demonstrate technologies and practices for efficient, environmentally sustainable, profitable and more resilient farming systems, and the supports available to implement them.

Johnstown Castle

Teagasc has said that the event aims to build understanding of the environmental challenges faced by the sector and to provide support to farmers.

Attendees will be updated on the latest practices and technologies identified by research, and tested at field and farm system scales.

The event will discuss practical management of dairy systems, the calf-to-beef herd and the new organic beef finishing trial at the Teagasc Johnstown Castle Research Centre.

Teagasc has also encouraged tillage farmers to attend as there will be a focus on soil health, crop nutrition and cover crop establishment and management.

There will be a range of exhibits for farmers to view at the open day covering various topics, including:

• Management of red and white clover and multispecies swards;
• Fertiliser and manure technologies;
• Better farming for water: 8 actions for change;
• Biodiversity;
• Dairy and dairy-beef systems;
• Teagasc advisory and education;
• Health and safety for sustainable farming.

Launching the open day, Teagasc director Prof. Frank O’Mara said that farmers are being increasingly asked to change and adapt their farming practices to reduce impacts on the natural environment.

“The science underpinning some of these requested changes arises from the research undertaken by Teagasc in the Environment, Soils and Land Use Research Centre, Johnstown Castle, and in its other research centres.

“This open day will bring together all of this available knowledge, with simple practical advice and messages for farmers to consider,” he said.

The post Johnstown Castle open day to showcase sustainable technologies appeared first on Agriland.ie.

An Taisce has called for a “step change” in the water quality measures being asked of Irish farmers to address the issue of nitrogen (N).

The comments come as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said today (Wednesday, June 12) that there were no significant improvements in water quality for 2023.

The agency’s Water Quality in 2023 report identifies nutrient pollution from farming and urban wastewater as a major challenge.

The EPA said that nitrate concentrations remain too high in 42% of river sites mainly in the south-east and midlands and eastern regions.

The report also highlights that 17% of estuarine and coastal water bodies assessed were in unsatisfactory condition for N.

An Taisce

Dr. Elaine McGoff, head of advocacy with An Taisce described the EPA report as “worrying” and said how we manage our water in Ireland has to change to address this long-standing problem.

“The fact that agricultural nitrogen pollution didn’t improve in the south and south-east of the country should come as no surprise to anyone.

“Despite all the rhetoric about saving our nitrates derogation and turning the tide on water quality in Ireland, there is no evidence of the necessary improvement in our waters.

“Farmers are jumping through a number of environmental hoops, but the problem is the measures they’re being asked to put in place don’t work for all pollutants, and they’re largely inadequate for targeting nitrogen pollution.

“They may work well for silt, phosphorus, or biodiversity, but they’re not designed for addressing nitrogen.

“Until we fix that and put the right measures in the places that we need, then we’re only fooling ourselves if we think the water quality trends are going to dramatically improve,” she said.

McGoff said that Ireland must adopt a science-based catchment approach on water quality.

“It’s also shocking that our wastewater treatment plants are still polluting our waterways in this day and age.

“It is critical that the government takes the necessary steps, and provides the necessary funding to halt polluting wastewater discharges into all water bodies,” she said.

According to a recent EPA report, 81% of Irish people rate water pollution as their key environmental concern.

“We now need a step change in how we manage our waters and how we manage our land and wastewater. We can’t keep doing largely the same thing and expecting a different outcome,” McGoff said.

Water quality

Meanwhile, the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) is calling on the government to put in place far stronger measures to address “Ireland’s water pollution crisis”.

The network of 25 of Ireland’s environmental organisations said that “ongoing pollution from agriculture and forestry run-off, and discharges of raw and inadequately treated human sewage” must be tackled.

SWAN said that nutrient pollution is having a significant effect on water wildlife, with declines in mayfly, stonefly and caddis fly, which provide food for species such as salmon, kingfisher and otter.

Sinéad O’Brien, SWAN coordinator, said that the lack of improvement in nitrate pollution is of very serious concern.

She said that elevated nitrate levels in water in the south, east and south-east show that “current measures to tackle pollution for intensive livestock farming are not working here”.

“We need strong additional measures such as nutrient restrictions based on the carrying capacity of these already nutrient-saturated catchments and risk-assessments for intensive farms, with a licensing system similar to pigs and poultry farms to protect vulnerable rivers and estuaries.

“These measures would result in a marked reduction in agricultural water pollution,” she said.

O’Brien added that the government must also commit to urgent investment to halt discharges of raw and inadequately treated sewage into all water bodies.

The post An Taisce: ‘Step change’ needed to improve water quality appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Some initiatives that individual farmers want to take up that may improve water quality are being “frustrated” by delays in grant approvals from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and planning approval, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has claimed.

The association was reacting to a new report from the Environmental Protection Protection (EPA), which said that there was “no significant change in any of the water quality indicators” for Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwaters in 2023.

According to the EPA, the biggest issue impacting water quality is nutrient pollution from agriculture and wastewater.

The EPA said that average nitrate levels in rivers, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters are “largely unchanged and remain too high in the east, south-east and south”.

On foot of the report’s publication, IFA president Francie Gorman said that there is a “relentless focus among farmers to make changes to improve and achieve better water quality”.

He cited the Teagasc Better Farming for Water campaign, launched at the end of last month, which Gorman said “all farmers have to play their part” in.

“Our water quality is in a relatively good position compared to other EU countries. However, there is a determined and robust approach across the whole sector to minimise the impact of food production on our waterways,” he commented.

According to the IFA president, there is an “unprecedented” level of investment and adoption of new measures on farms, and noted that the level of inorganic fertiliser use on farms is down 30% in the last two years.

“However, some initiatives individual farmers want to undertake on farms around slurry and nutrient storage are being frustrated by delays in DAFM grant approvals and planning delays,” Gorman claimed.

“We must remove these roadblocks and ensure that farmers can move quickly to make capital investments,” he added.

“It’s about the right measures in the right places at the right time and the right rate, to ensure that nutrients are taken up by grass and crops. We are determined to reduce nutrient loss to deliver better water quality,” Gorman said.

“All the dairy co-ops are working closely with their farmer suppliers in making this central to everything. In fact, co-ops make part of the payment to farmers conditional on sustainability elements, including safeguarding our water quality.”

Gorman claimed that the work currently being done would “no doubt” deliver results on water quality.

“We cannot have any let up in our efforts. No more than our work to reduce emissions, this has to be sustained and results-driven,” the IFA president added.

The post Farmer water quality actions ‘frustrated by DAFM grant delays’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has written to the Belgian environment minister to reiterate its endorsement of the Nature Restoration Law.

The letter was sent ahead of the upcoming environment council meeting on June 17, where ministers are due to discuss the 2040 climate target and soil monitoring, among other agenda points.

The EESC stated that it supports the overall objective of the proposed regulation to step up efforts on nature restoration in order to halt the loss of biodiversity.

The committee supports putting Europe’s biodiversity “on the path to recovery”.

It also put forward several recommendations reflecting a balanced approach of the interests represented in the committee.

This includes represented interests from environmentalists, farmers, forest owners, fishermen, and trade unions from across the EU.

The EESC stated that the “most serious shortcoming” is that the economic impact of the necessary measures on land users is not taken into account.

EESC and farming

The EESC highlighted that the farming community needs a fairer food supply chain, solutions to accompany the transition and support in the move towards climate neutrality objectives.

It warned about the risk of “negative repercussions” on generational renewal in the agricultural sector.

It recommended that rural areas be made more attractive by securing the possibilities for the continuation of “economically viable livelihoods” based on sustainable use of natural resources.

The committee also recommended strengthening targets by encouraging agricultural activities, the restoration of all aquatic environments, including the rewetting of peatlands.

It also recommended that EU support be put in place for the emergence and development of forestry activities carried out both before trees are planted and after they are cut down.

The EESC has asked the environmental minister, Alain Maron for a presentation of its opinion at one of the council’s meetings or working groups.

The post EESC highlights support for nature restoration to Belgian minister appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Global nitrous oxide emissions from human activities have increased by 40% between 1980 and 2020, primarily due to farming practices, according to a new study by international research project, the Global Carbon Project.

In 2020, more than 10 million metric tonnes of nitrous oxide – a greenhouse gas (GHG) “more potent” than carbon dioxide (CO2) or methane – were released into the atmosphere, mainly through farming, the study shows.

Agricultural production accounted for 74% of human-driven nitrous oxide emissions in the 2010s, which can be attributed primarily to the use of commercial fertilisers and animal waste on croplands, researchers said.

The report Global Nitrous Oxide Budget 2024 published in the journal Earth System Science Data today (Wednesday, June 12), was led by researchers from Boston College in Massachusetts, US.

Nitrous oxide

The rate at which nitrous oxide was released into the atmosphere in 2020 and 2021 was faster than in any previous year since measurements began in 1980, the study produced by 58 researchers from 55 organisations in 15 countries shows.

Nitrous oxide has a global warming potential approximately 300 times larger than CO2. Once emitted, the GHG stays in the atmosphere for 117 years, according to the Global Carbon Project.

While global CO2 emissions from human activities, such as fossil fuels and land use change, have been “rather stable” over the past decade, global nitrous oxide emissions, largely from food production, continue to rise, the study shows.

Agricultural emissions reached eight million metric tonnes in 2020, a 67% increase from the 4.8 million metric tons released in 1980, which the researchers attributed to an increase in the use of commercial nitrogen (N) fertilisers and manure production.

The use of N fertilisers in agriculture, including livestock manure production and use, is the “single largest” human-driven source of nitrous oxide in the atmosphere, according to the international researchers.

Emissions from agriculture continue to grow, while other sectors, such as fossil fuels and the chemical industry, are globally not growing or declining.

Fossil fuel combustion and certain industrial processes contribute 17% to these emissions, the study shows.

Which countries emit the most?

The top five emitting countries of human-driven nitrous oxide emissions in 2020 were China (16.7%); India (10.9%); the US (5.7%); Brazil (5.3%); and Russia (4.6%).

Pakistan, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey, and Canada are in the top 10 emitters.

China, India, the US, Brazil, and Russia also have the highest nitrous oxide emissions per person. These are influenced by both domestic consumption and the trade of food and food products, the researchers said.

The EU, Japan and Korea have reduced their human-driven nitrous oxide emissions over the past decades, while in China emissions have been declining for the past five years due to increased nitrogen use efficiency, the study shows.

The EU reduced its nitrous oxide emissions by 31%, the largest decrease of any region, mostly due to reductions from fossil fuel and industry emissions in the 1990s. However, agricultural emissions have not declined over the past two decades. 

Developing countries in Africa and south and southeast Asia show a “significant increase” in N fertiliser use, albeit coming from low values.

Nitrous oxide emissions in Pakistan and Ethiopia grew by over 200%, according to the research.

Brazil’s nitrous oxide emissions grew strongly over the past two decades, with direct emissions from the use of fertilisers and manure more than double, according to latest research by the Global Carbon Project.

The post Rise in nitrous oxide emissions primarily due to farming – research appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has today (Wednesday, June 12), announced the launch of the Greengate Biogas partnership which will see the development of seven anaerobic digestion (AD) plants in Ireland.

Under the partnership, CIP, Atlas Renewables and Energex Partners will join forces to develop, construct and operate biogas plants in each region across Ireland, with a primary focus on utilising manure as feedstock.

When fully established, the seven large-scale projects will produce nearly 1.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year of biomethane, representing approximately 3.5% of Ireland’s current natural gas demand and 30% of Ireland’s 2030 biomethane target.

The primary objective of the National Biomethane Strategy recently published by government is to support delivery of a target of up to 5.7TWh of indigenously-produced biomethane by 2030.

AD plants in Ireland

The seven AD plants to be set up in Ireland under this partnership will inject biomethane into the national grid and recirculate the digestate as organic fertiliser to farmers, contributing to Ireland’s circular economy and green transition.

Manure will be the predominant feedstock which will be sourced from 2,000 Irish livestock farmers in a 35km radius of a plant. Around 500,000t of manure will be converted per project, in addition to 100,000t of industrial organic waste.

It is planned that a feedstock co-operative will facilitate the involvement of farmers. Whether farmers will be paid for supplying feedstock, will depend on the market, however, they will not be expected to pay for the manure being taken off their farms.

Greengate Biogas’ approach to AD development in Ireland “mirrors the well-proven” Danish model, and will apply the lessons learned from decades of experience with large-scale AD projects in Denmark.

By implementing AD for improved manure management, Greengate Biogas has said that it will also help reduce emissions from the agricultural sector and address nitrate challenges.

“We are excited to enter the Irish bioenergy industry with Greengate Biogas, which will make a significant contribution to the green transition, as well as creating local jobs and investments across the agricultural and rural economies.

“Ireland is a key market for CIP, and alongside our existing interests in off-shore wind and solar power, we look forward to seeing the growth in biogas make significant contributions to renewable energy production, CO2 abatement and water quality management.

“We look forward to progressing the projects with our local development team and in collaboration with Irish farmers, local authorities and other stakeholders,” partner at CIP, Andreas F. Brandt said.

The post Danish investment firm to set up seven AD plants in Ireland appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) has today (Wednesday, June 12) defended farmers’ commitment to water quality following the publication of a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report highlighting “nutrient pollution from agriculture”.

In its Water Quality in 2023: An Indicators Report the EPA states that the biggest issue impacting water quality is “nutrient pollution from agriculture and wastewater”.

It also sets out that there has been “no significant change in any of the water quality indicators for Ireland’s rivers, lakes, estuaries and groundwaters in 2023 and no sign of improvement overall”.

The EPA has also warned that it is “essential that there is full compliance with the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations and that actions to reduce losses of nutrients from agriculture are targeted to where they are needed”.

Water quality

However Edward Carr, the president of ICOS, said today that it is “demonstrably clear to see across the farming and cooperative sectors that there is massive investment going on to protect water”.

Carr added: “Nobody can accuse farmers and their cooperatives of not taking action to protect water quality.

“The facts on this are unquestionable. This commitment and activity will only increase in the years ahead.

“But the ultimate success and reward to improved water can only be achieved if all stakeholders including farmers, local authorities and other industry sectors stay focused and work together to achieve results.”

While he acknowledged that the EPA’s work “provides essential knowledge and information regarding sustainability, climate action and water quality”, Carr also said that “tens of thousands of farmers who are signed up to environmentally focused schemes” would be frustrated by the latest EPA report.

He said this was chiefly because the report “is not showing the fast improvement that we expect as a result of all that is being done”.

According to ICOS more than 90% of Irish dairy farmers have signed up to sustainability programmes which are aimed specifically at “protecting rivers and lakes”.

The organisation also detailed that In 2023, over 2,500 Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) visits were carried out by co-ops in 2023 and this year’s figure is expected to be higher.

There are also 50 ASSAP advisors working directly with farmers on measures to improve water quality.

In addition to this, ICOS outlined that more than 70% of farmers now use Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS) which it described as “a massive leap from a standing start only a few years ago”.

Carr added: “We as farmers must remain patient and continue with the good work being done to arrest a decline in water quality.

“We are more confident than ever that we will soon see the positive results of all of this work”.

The post ICOS: Farmers are ‘100% committed’ to water quality appeared first on Agriland.ie.

There was “no significant change in any of the water quality indicators” for Ireland’s rivers,
lakes, estuaries and groundwaters in 2023, according to a new report published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In its Water Quality in 2023: An Indicators Report the EPA identified the “biggest issue impacting water quality” last year as nutrient pollution from agriculture and wastewater.

The report showed that water quality generally in Ireland is not improving and while “some improvements are being made, these are being offset by declines elsewhere”.

According to the EPA, average nitrate levels in rivers, groundwater, estuaries and coastal waters are “largely unchanged and remain too high in the east, south-east and south”.

It also highlighted that average phosphorus levels in rivers and lakes are also mainly unchanged and “remain too high in over one quarter (27%) of rivers and one third (35%) of lakes”.

The latest EPA report includes indicators for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus in rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal and groundwaters using both three-year averages and annual averages at national and regional scale.

According to the agency, nutrients are sampled at least four, and up to 12, times a year depending on the site, and data from 2023 has been included in the analyses.

The five regional areas which were under the spotlight were the border, midlands and east, south-east, south-west and western regions.

EPA

The latest water quality report outlines that annual average river nitrate concentrations nationally were the same in 2023 as in 2022 and that there was “no sign of an improvement”.

“Nitrate concentrations remain too high in 42% of river sites mainly in the south-east and midland and eastern regions,” the EPA stated.

The agency also found that:

• 20% of groundwater sites still have nitrate concentrations that are considered too high;
• The national annual average in 2023 was higher than in 2022 with both the south-east and midlands and east regions seeing increases;
• 17% of estuarine and coastal water bodies assessed were in unsatisfactory condition for nitrogen while N loads to the marine environment are largely unchanged over the past four years.

According to the EPA “elevated levels of nitrogen” in waters are found mainly in the east, south-east and south of the country and “are too high to support good water quality in our estuaries”.

“This is primarily attributable to intensive agricultural activities on freely draining soils in these areas,” it warned.

The agency also highlighted that the three-year average concentrations for nitrate in rivers show that “42% of river sites nationally have unsatisfactory nitrate concentrations (above 8mg/L NO3)12”.

It also found that annual average river phosphate concentrations nationally “were the same in 2023 as in 2022”.

“Average phosphate concentrations remain too high in 27% of rivers.

“Phosphate levels fluctuate annually but overall there has been no significant change over recent years,” the report highlighted.

Overall, the EPA found that “water quality in Ireland is not improving and nutrient levels remain too high in a large proportion of water bodies”.

According to Dr. Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s office of evidence and assessment, this is “disappointing”.

“While there are initiatives happening nationally, measures to address water quality are not being implemented at the scale or pace required.

“The quality of our water bodies will not improve until nutrient levels are reduced in areas where they are elevated.

“It is essential that there is full compliance with the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations
and that actions to reduce losses of nutrients from agriculture are targeted to where they are needed.

“We also need to see an acceleration in the pace at which Uisce Éireann is delivering improvements in wastewater infrastructure,” Dr. Cotter added.

The post EPA: ‘No signs yet’ of an improvement in water quality appeared first on Agriland.ie.

South East Technological University (SETU) has launched a forum to provide guidance on enhancing biodiversity and sustainability practices.

The biodiversity and sustainability forum, co-chaired by Eleanor Kent, head of land sciences, and Dr. Denise O’Meara, lecturer in biology, also aims to facilitate the exchange of projects, initiatives, and ideas among regional stakeholders. 

The forum was launched at Mount Congreve House and Gardens in Co. Waterford where stakeholders from across the south-east and representatives from SETU’s campuses in Waterford, Carlow, and Wexford gathered.

Prof. Peter McLoughlin at SETU emphasised the work of the Eco-Innovation Research Centre (EIRC) in Co. Waterford and EnviroCore in Co. Carlow, which have “extensive experience” in the areas of sustainable agriculture, biodiversity monitoring, marine and estuarine research, and forestry.

He highlighted how the West Campus at Carriganore has created a ‘living lab’ environment to facilitate field-based initiatives supporting biodiversity and sustainability practices.

Prof. McLoughlin proposed further developing a ‘knowledge hub’ at the West Campus at Carriganore, which would support biodiversity and sustainability training initiatives. 

Dr. Úna FitzPatrick, chief scientific officer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) spoke on the “urgent need to address biodiversity decline”.

Dr. Fitzpatrick also highlighted the positive aspects of the south-east, including the presence of the NBDC, SETU, and the region’s beautiful landscapes. 

Additional speakers included Niall Ryan, an agricultural inspector with the nature and land use division at the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) who discussed the department’s role in supporting biodiversity-related projects through European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) and LIFE projects.

Michael Hassett, sustainability advisor with Tirlán, spoke about initiatives that financially reward dairy farmers for engaging in sustainability practices.

Dr. Catherine Keena, countryside management specialist from Teagasc Kildalton, discussed educating farmers to plant and manage robust hedgerows to encourage biodiversity. 

Marina Mulligan, biodiversity officer with Waterford City and County Council, highlighted the council’s efforts to implement biodiversity plans and develop new policies.

Ray Sinnott, estate manager at Mount Congreve, spoke about efforts to create a sustainable ‘green car park’ and develop an organic vegetable garden, while also supporting a new horticulture education programme. 

Dr. Denise O’Meara scheduled the next meeting for Friday, July 5, at the SETU Arena in Carriganore, Co. Waterford where Anthony Murphy, a PhD researcher at SETU, will discuss emerging issues related to rodenticide resistance in rats and mice and its implications for pest management and wildlife.

The talk will be followed by a roundtable discussion and a walk led by SETU’s forestry lecturer, Tom Kent, around the native tree trail.

Additional meetings are planned for September, October, and December, hosted by SETU and Waterford City and County Council. 

The post New biodiversity and sustainability forum launched at SETU appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The New Zealand government is set to deliver on its election commitment to take agriculture out of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS).

The NZ ETS is a tool for meeting domestic and international climate change targets, and it requires businesses to measure and report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

However, the announcement today (Tuesday, June 11) means that agriculture will be excluded from the scheme.

New Zealand agriculture minister Todd McClay said: “The government is committed to meeting our climate change obligations without shutting down Kiwi farms.

“It doesn’t make sense to send jobs and production overseas, while less carbon-efficient countries produce the food the world needs.

“That is why we are focused on finding practical tools and technology for our farmers to reduce their emissions in a way that won’t reduce production or exports,” he added.

The government will establish a new pastoral sector group to constructively tackle biogenic methane, according to the coalition government agriculture and climate change minister.

New Zealand ETS

McClay confirmed that later in June 2024, the government will introduce legislation amending the Climate Change Response Act 2002 (the CCRA) to ensure agriculture does not enter the NZ ETS.

The amendment to the CCRA will remove agriculture, animal processors and fertiliser companies from the ETS before January 1, 2025.

For these organisations, their emissions associated with non-farm activities will continue to be covered by the NZ ETS.

Cabinet has decided to formally dis-establish, the primary sector climate action partnership, He Waka Eke Noa from today.

“It’s time for a fresh start on how we engage with farmers and processors to work on biogenic methane,” McClay said.

Reducing emissions

Climate Change minister Simon Watts said the government has committed NZ$400m over the next four years to accelerate the commercialisation of tools and technology to reduce on-farm emissions.

“As part of our commitment to the sector, we are scaling up funding for the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre where an additional NZ$50.5 million will be invested over the next five years in projects to find solutions to reduce the sectors emissions.”

These projects include:

• The development of a methane vaccine;
• A project to breed lower emissions cattle;
• Accelerating the work on methane and nitrous oxide inhibitors.

“These investments signal the governments support for farmers while ensuring New Zealand meets its international climate change obligations,” Watts added.

Welcoming the announcement

Beef and Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) has welcomed the government’s announcement that it is amending climate change legislation to keep agriculture out of the NZ ETS.

B+LNZ chair Kate Acland said: “We have consistently argued that agriculture going into the ETS would be a disastrous outcome. We welcome certainty about this being removed.  

“We withdrew our support for He Waka Eke Noa because of the significant impact this would have had on our farmers.   

“Emissions reductions in the sheep and beef sector are already happening more quickly than needed.

“The significant decline in stock numbers as a result of afforestation in the last few years means our sector will likely exceed the current target of a 10 percent reduction in methane by 2030,” Acland said.

The post Agriculture to be exempt from New Zealand emissions scheme appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Tirlán will host a ‘Farming for the Future’ farm walk and talk in Co. Wicklow next Friday, June 21, with a particular focus on protecting and improving water quality.

All farmers have been encouraged by the processor to join the event which will take place on Donal Kavanagh’s farm at The Oaks, Carrigeen, Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, W91 YD25, at 11:00a.m.

The walk will focus on activity undertaken on the farm through the Tirlán Teagasc Future Farm Programme and practical tips and best advice for protecting and improving water quality, the host farmer said.

The event is open to all farmers, with a focus on Tirlán dairy and grain suppliers, and will include an opportunity to engage directly with business leaders and sustainability programme leads.

A panel discussion will also take place with industry leaders, including Teagasc director, Dr. Frank O’Mara, and chief inspector at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Bill Callanan.

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), the president of the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) Denis Drennan, and Mary Gurrie from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also feature in the panel discussion.

The open event organised by Tirlán will include:

• Practical steps to improve water quality, nutrient use efficiency and boost on-farm profitability;
• An update on the ‘Future Farm’ performance from Donal Kavanagh;
• News on Tirlán’s new Farm Support Service and River Slaney Project;
• The latest on the nitrates derogation and water quality with speakers from Teagasc, DAFM, IFA, ICMSA, and EPA.

Tirlán chair John Murphy said the event is all about practical steps.

“We want everyone who comes along to take home at least three or four nuggets that they can implement on their own farm to protect water and help strengthen our case as we bid to retain the nitrates derogation,” he said.

Farmers attending the farm walk and talk will also have an opportunity to engage with Tirlán’s teams involved in sustainability initiatives such as:

• Farming for Water River Slaney Project;
• Sustainability Action Payment programme;
• On-farm FarmGen solar programme;
• Twenty20 Beef Club;
• Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP).

“Every little action that we take on farm all adds up. It’s a busy time of the year for everyone but a few hours at a practical farm walk is time well invested,” host farmer Donal Kavanagh said.

The post Tirlán to host farm walk in Wicklow with focus on water quality appeared first on Agriland.ie.

An Taisce has said that the results of a project focused on the promotion of organic farming in Ireland have “exceeded expectations”.

The National Trust for Ireland has today (Tuesday, June 11) published its final report on its Legacy4Life programme.

The initiative is co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme, the European Climate Foundation, as well as the government’s Climate Action Fund.

The two-year programme aimed to enhance biodiversity, protect the environment and advance climate mitigation efforts.

An Taisce

The programme, which began in 2021, includes three distinct projects – promoting ponds as reservoirs of biodiversity, advancing the EU Farm to Fork strategy, and developing low carbon town plans.

The report states that each project has contributed to Ireland’s natural environment, fostering ecosystem resilience and promoting sustainable practices.

An Taisce said that it raised public awareness about the value of ponds, water quality and climate mitigation benefits through projects, public engagement, workshops, and national collaboration.

A total of seven demonstration sites were established across Ireland on public land with community groups which will continue to monitor them into the future.

Through its work, An Taisce said that the project highlighted the need for an All-Ireland Pond Plan, similar to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.

Organic farming

The ‘Advancing Farm-to-Fork’ project focused on organic agriculture and emission reduction options for agriculture.

The project sought to “advocate and educate” farmers and consumers on “the opportunities offered by the Farm to Fork alternative to current intensification-based policies”.

A survey of 405 participants provided an insight on the difficulties facing farmers converting to organic farming.

The largest challenges identified by organic farmers were soil health, weeds, pests, disease, and labour input increases.

Costs and profitability, access to information and current regulations and policies were also highlighted as challenges faced by those in organic farming.

A booklet of best practice examples across all farm enterprises was created for conventional farmers considering making the switch to organic and also detailed relevant state supports.

900 booklets for children were also printed and distributed through the Green Schools network.

“This project exceeded expectations, bridging the gap between the farming community and the environmental/non-governmental organisation (NGO) community in Ireland.

“The farming community’s interest in nature-based practices and biodiversity restoration was evident, and many farmers used materials from the ponds programme to create ponds for better water quality and biodiversity outcomes,” An Taisce said.

The final strand of the Legacy4Life programme developed a template for low carbon community plans, for both urban and rural areas.

“The handbook aims to engage citizens in the planning of their future, allowing them to vote for their preferred decarbonisation activity.

“The Green Communities Carbon Calculator allows users to manipulate levers to lower their carbon emissions at a community level,” An Taisce said.

The post An Taisce organic farming project ‘exceeds expectations’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

Fertiliser company Yara International has today (Monday, June 10) officially opened its renewable hydrogen plant located in Norway.

The facility in Heroya Industrial Park, in the south of the country, is now producing renewable hydrogen and ammonia.

Yara said it has already delivered the first tonnes of fertilisers made from renewable ammonia produced at this plant.

The hydrogen is produced with electrolysis of water and renewable energy, replacing natural gas as feedstock and annually cutting 41,000t of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the site.

Yara

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store inaugurated the 24 megawatt (MW) renewable hydrogen plant, the largest of its kind currently in operation in Europe

Svein Tore Holsether, president and chief executive of Yara, said that the facility is “a major milestone” for the company and for “the decarbonisation of the food value chain, shipping fuel and other energy intensive industries”.

“This is a ground-breaking project and a testament to our mission to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet,” he said.

Yara said that the first tonnes of “low-carbon footprint fertilisers” were delivered to Lantmannen, a Swedish agricultural co-op owned by 19,000 Swedish farmers.

The company added that the fertilisers will be part of a new portfolio called “Yara Climate Choice”.

“Renewable ammonia is an important part of the decarbonisation puzzle, however developing it at scale takes time,” Hans Olav Raen, chief executive of Yara Clean Ammonia, said.

“As the world is rapidly approaching 2030, we are also working to produce low-carbon ammonia with carbon capture storage (CCS) to enable the hydrogen economy and develop the emerging markets for low-emission ammonia,” he added.

Yara previously reported that first-quarter (Q1) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) in 2024 were $435 million compared to $487 million in first quarter of 2023, a decrease of 11%.

Net income was $16 million ($0.07 per share) compared with $105 million ($0.41 per share) a year earlier.

Total deliveries however were up 12% with European deliveries up 37% from Q1 2023.

The post Yara produces first tonnes of fertiliser at renewable hydrogen plant appeared first on Agriland.ie.

The International Horticultural Exhibition for 2024 is taking place in Chengdu, China, from April to October of this year and to promote the event, a group of journalists and industry personnel from the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) member states were invited to the event over the June bank holiday weekend.

Agriland was in attendance at the event which, according to the AIPH, is expected to see 7.6 million visitors come to the 242ha site to see the exhibition which aims to showcase the horticultural industry of Sichuan Province in China to the global stage.

The event’s organising committee is composed of:

• The China Flower Association;
• The National Forestry and Grassland Administration;
• The People’s Government of Sichuan Province;
• The Chengdu Municipal Government;
• The Chengdu Eastern New Area Administrative Committee.

According to the organisers, the event is “a joint exhibition of garden and horticultural products and exotic flowers from all over the world” and is described as an “Olympic” event in the field of world floriculture.

The exhibition aims to promote mutual exchanges among countries and integrate cultural achievements and scientific and technological achievements.

The international event has a history spanning over 60 years and has been held 38 times.

As well as the broad range of exhibits showcasing different garden designs from across China, there are a range of international gardens on display also showcasing plants and designs from countries around the world.

Included in the international garden exhibits is an Irish garden titled : ‘Garden of Fair Fingal’.

It features limestone rock and pathways through the garden with famous quotes from Irish poets.

The trees, shrubs and flowers in the Irish garden aim to reflect those which would often be seen in Ireland. White clover, lavender and oak trees can be seen in the exhibit.

The park where the event is taking place has an impressive scale and the level of detail in the design and layout of the overall exhibition and individual gardens has to be seen to be believed with over 700 staff keeping to overall exhibition in pristine condition.

Each garden display aims to tell a distinctive horticultural story across the Flora Pavilion, Tianfu Habitat Exhibition Zone, and Park City Exhibition Zone.

According to the organisers, the exhibition is designed “to help build an exchange platform for the Chinese and European flower industries” as well as promoting all tourism throughout Sichuan Provence.

The post Watch: 2024 International Horticultural Expo in China appeared first on Agriland.ie.

With the unpredictability in weather, the price of fertiliser, and the new constraints around how much fertiliser you can use, completing a fertiliser plan is more essential than ever.

Completing a fertiliser plan will allow you to choose the most suitable fertiliser types and amounts for your farm.

Nutrient planning will allow farmers to maintain appropriate soil fertility by applying the right fertilisers in the right place on the farm, at the correct rate and at the optimum time of the year.

With the introduction of the National Fertiliser Database (NFD), there has been an increase in soil sampling, with farmers aiming to improve their fertility, which further increases the demand for a fertiliser plan.

95% of farmers have registered for the NFD, meaning that these farmers have completed a closing stock of fertiliser left on the farm on the September 14, and had a month after that date to submit these records online.

Co-ops have to make regular returns to the database of the herd numbers that bought fertiliser, the date, type and amount of fertiliser purchased.

This monitoring and data collection has raised concerns amongst farmers who fear the possibility of exceeding their fertiliser limits.

With this in mind, it is important for farmers to complete a fertiliser plan so they can understand their fertiliser limits and what to apply to allow for maximum growth.

Fertiliser plan requirements

A Basic Income Support Scheme (BISS) application will be needed to show what crops are being grown and their areas in 2024 as every crop has a different allowance for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P).

When it comes to your grassland crops, the previous years grassland stocking rate (GSR) is used to work out the allowances for N and P.

This is calculated by getting the total N from grazing livestock and dividing it by the grassland area in 2023.

You will need to provide the total tonnage of concentrates fed to grazing livestock in 2023 and the total N from grazing livestock.

Having soil samples for your farm allows for easy allocation of fertiliser and slurry, and in order to get an accurate understanding of the soil fertility status, there should be samples from the last four years.

More information that has to be gathered is the amount of fertiliser and type that was carried into 2024 and what has been bought so far this year.

Finally, the amount of organic manures that have been imported into the farm in 2024 or planned to be imported must be noted.

Maximising efficiency

Although it might seem like another hindrance of a job to do, completing a fertiliser plan will give you guidance on where you stand, in terms of what fertiliser type and amount can be used in 2024.

It will allow you to plan ahead and be comfortable when spreading knowing your not exceeding limits, rather than finding out through an inspection that you have spread too much fertiliser.

Completing a fertiliser plan should be made a priority as you make decisions without the worry of exceeding limits, allow for maximum grass growth and apply suitable to your soil fertility status.

This means that you are maximising your output of fertiliser while minimising any wastage, as you are not spreading certain nutrients on paddocks that don’t lack or need them.

The post The importance of completing a fertiliser plan appeared first on Agriland.ie.

An Taisce has claimed that the government’s new National Biomethane Strategy could be the subject of a complaint to the United Nations (UN).

The organisation has alleged that the new strategy “abjectly fails to address the multiple and very serious issues” raised by it and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during public consultation.

It said that under the UN Aarhus Convention the purpose of public consultation is to improve draft proposals, but the group believes this has not happened with the final plan.

Therefore, An Taisce believes that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) are open to an Aarhus complaint.

National Biomethane Strategy

The recently published National Biomethane Strategy aims to support delivery of up to 5.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of indigenously-produced biomethane by 2030.

The government has sought €40 million in capital funding under Ireland’s application to REPowerEU – the EU’s project to improve energy self-sufficiency – in order to support early adopters of biomethane.

The strategy, which contains 25 actions to develop and grow the Irish biomethane sector, outlines that it will be “agri-led and farmer-centric”.

However, in a statement issued today (Friday, June 7) An Taisce said that “it is now entirely possible that large amounts of public monies will be spent supporting a strategy that may deliver little or no climate benefit”.

The organisation added that the new plan could “likely increase nitrate water pollution and ammonia emissions, contrary to Ireland’s international commitments”.

“An Taisce’s mission raised a number of credible and serious concerns, based on peer-reviewed and EU report evidence.

“However, the updated National Biomethane Strategy does not address any of this evidence directly, and it fails to provide any certainty that the strategy will be backed by effective regulatory measures and to ensure sustainability concerns are met,” it said.

In its public consultation submission, the EPA strongly advised that “the strategy should clearly set out the actions, targets, timeframes and responsible owners for implementation”.

“The strategy lacks transparency: it is unclear what is being signed up to, what risks are entailed, what benefits are likely relative to alternative options, nor how much the strategy’s delivery will ultimately cost the public purse,” An Taisce said.

It added that the strategy has failed to include the need for independent oversight, enforced limits on chemical nitrogen (N) use in feedstock production, minimising AD plant impacts on communities, and limiting pollution from use of the digestate by-product as a fertiliser.

Greenwashing

The organisation claimed that the new strategy will “primarily act to support greenwashing of fossil carbon natural gas delivery and increase the economic viability of emissions-intensive milk and meat production”.

“System change to resilient national energy and agri-food systems is urgently required, but the National Biomethane Strategy mostly reinforces the business-as-usual model for Irish agriculture which is unsustainably imbalanced toward intensive livestock production.

“Rather than being evidence-led and society-centred, the National Biomethane Strategy states it will be ‘agri-led and farmer-centric’.

“The updated National Biomethane Strategy text overtly embeds bias toward vested interests by allowing industry stakeholder influence over its implementation and governance,” it said.

An Taisce noted that the “only substantive improvement” in the final version of the plan is a new section on the importance of minimising methane leakage from anaerobic digestion (AD) plants.

However, it said that this section fails to address the seriousness of the issue and “ignores peer-reviewed international evidence showing unsustainably high methane losses from existing AD plants”.

An Taisce said that large scale AD biomethane should not proceed without assessing far smaller scale rollout first, along with modelling of alternative options.

“Collectively, we need to outline an energy and land-use transition that is demonstrably aligned with meeting Ireland’s agreed carbon budgets and producing food and energy within ecological limits to guide society and farming to the most resilient possible future.

“By failing to meet these crucial parameters, the new National Biomethane Strategy is not up to the task,” it said.

The post An Taisce: National Biomethane Strategy ‘not up to the task’ appeared first on Agriland.ie.

A number of “opportunities associated with climate change” have been identified for the Irish agriculture sector, according to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

They were detailed in Ireland’s second National Adaptation Framework (NAF), which was published by Minister Eamon Ryan this week.

The new NAF sets out the potential implications of climate change for Ireland and outlines the national strategy for the development of adaptation measures.

Minister Ryan said: “While climate change itself is challenging, adaptation is equally challenging. It will require each sector, each utility company, each local authority to plan seriously for the inevitability of more extreme weather events.

“As an immediate action, we should embark on a process to green our cities and plant trees on almost every street, it will mitigate flooding, improve our air and reduce heat impact.”

Identified in the NAF are “opportunities associated with climate change”, with a number of sectors being featured.

Opportunities for agriculture resulting from climate change were referenced in the report.

The potential opportunities included:

• The extension of the growing season due to higher temperatures might result in increased grass yields and earlier harvests for crops, potentially requiring different crop varieties;
• The expected decrease in spring frost will result in less frost damage to spring crops, improving conditions for horticulture and reduce cold stress to livestock.

The NAF also identified opportunities for the forestry sector, as the expected increase in temperatures “will increase the length of the growing season and result in increased tree growth“.

The framework also forecasted that “changing climate may enable the planting of less cold-sensitive tree species”.

The report detailed that “research into climate-resilient farming practices, crop and livestock management, and the impact of climate change on food security will be critical” given “the importance of agriculture in Ireland”.

The NAF outlined that “climate change presents one of the most complex challenges of our time, with discernible impacts already evident”.

It added that “recent years have seen erratic weather patterns, exemplified by the extended wet periods in Ireland in 2023 and 2024, adversely affecting agricultural yields and harvests, underscoring the urgent need for proactive measures to reduce or remove its effects”.

The report detailed that the Irish agriculture sector has “made good progress in terms of mainstreaming adaptation into new policies, planning and financing frameworks”.

It added that “further outreach and engagement is needed to mainstream adaptation given the number of stakeholders involved and behavioural change needed”.

Recent policies, plans and strategies for the sector provide examples of mainstreaming adaptation, such as the CAP Strategic Plan (2023-2027) which provides funding for and inclusion of adaptation measures.

The post Govt identifies agri-‘opportunities’ associated with climate change appeared first on Agriland.ie.