Minister at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, Martin Heydon, and Pippa Hackett have welcomed the publication of the Annual Review of the Agriculture and Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector by the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC).
The review highlights the state of play of the sector and makes recommendations for future progress.
Commenting on the review, Minister McConalogue said: “This report is very much in alignment with the policies and strategies we – government and the sector together – are progressing.
“What is evident is that this work is bearing fruit with emissions from agriculture trending downwards.
“Many of the recommendations in the report are already in train and it is helpful to see the Climate Change Advisory Council acknowledge the progress being made in the sector in meeting its commitments.
“Last year, 2023, was a year of considerable progress for agriculture with emissions reduced by 4.6% relative to 2022.
“This reflects the efforts that farmers are putting in on the ground but also gives confidence to continue those efforts as we strive to achieve a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for agriculture by 2030,” Minister McConalogue added.
Climate
The DAFM ministers added that agriculture has laid a solid foundation to deliver a downwards emission trajectory over the coming years.
The coalition partners have said that the commitment of the farming sector to reducing emissions is mirrored by the government in the provision of funding, circa €4.1 billion, in support of agri-environmental practices under the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as well as significant investment in research and development.
Referencing the policy initiatives in place, Minister McConalogue continued: “Programmes introduced by this government such as the €1.5 billion Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) incentivise farmers to undertake a wide range of environmental measures.
“In support of our aim to produce 1tWh of biomethane by 2025, I launched the National Biomethane Strategy in May.
“I also announced that I had secured €40 million in funding to kick-start the biomethane sector in Ireland and I can confirm that 23 applications have been submitted to the Biomethane Capital Grant to further this ambition.”
Minister of State with responsibility for research and innovation Martin Heydon commented: “Innovation is at the heart of ensuring an economic and environmentally sustainable Irish agriculture sector.
“That is why my department is investing heavily in climate-related research to ensure farmers have access to cutting edge technology and management practices.
“Projects such as Meth-abate and Greenbred which are supported by funding from my department have led to significant scientific advancements in the area of methane-reducing feed additives and low-emission breeding strategies.
We must continue to fund this innovative work and earlier this year I announced a further investment of €6.2 million in climate mitigation and adaptation projects.”
Minister Heydon noted also the research supported by DAFM in the area of feed additives such as 3-Nitrooxypropanol.
Minister of State for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett, commented: “The council (CCAC) is correct to say that government needs to implement policies that align with long-term climate and biodiversity objectives.
“We know we need to tackle water quality too, and we are doing all three through a number of schemes.
“The success of the Organic Farming Scheme is highlighted in particular, trebling the land area farmed without chemical fertiliser, pesticides or herbicides since 2020.
“Much like the multi-species swards and red clover silage measure, we know the organic farming scheme works for farmers and we know it works for the environment, so we need to continue to invest in its proven success of delivering for climate, biodiversity and water quality.”
In forestry, Minister Hackettt said ” we are very much starting to see the ship turning on that front; the felling licence backlog is cleared, an almost year-long delay in getting state aid approval from the European Commission has been dealt with and we have put very generous funding in place for farmers to plant trees with a €1.3 billion package.”
Minister McConalogue highlighted the significant decrease in nitrogen fertiliser sales.
“The use of protected urea increased by 15% in 2023, accounting for 22% of straight nitrogen fertilisers in 2023, compared with 49% CAN and 29% unprotected urea,” he said.
“This shift in behavioural mindset must continue and is a testament to the farming community’s commitment to climate change. Government will continue to support this good work.”
Sustainability
DAFM also committed funding to accelerate the development of AgNav, a collaboration between Teagasc, the Irish Cattle Breeding Association (ICBF) and Bord Bia.
AgNav provides a whole farm sustainability assessment and includes a decision support function (forecaster tool) that allows science-led plans to be made for individual farms to reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration.