This week’s episode of Farmland will discuss the viability of the sheep sector as factory prices remain weak, and Teagasc’s plans to begin biomethane production at Grange College by the end of the year.
In the programme, which will go live at 7:00p.m today (Tuesday, August 30), Sean McNamara of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) speaks to Agriland’s technical sheep specialist, Michael Geary, about factory prices, lamb imports and the future for the industry.
The ICSA sheep chair tells Geary about the challenges sheep farmers are experiencing as lamb prices remain under downward pressure, leaving many farmers selling at, or below, the cost of production.
He also notes the lack of confidence among farmers in the sector that he sees daily, and explains that young people no longer see a future in sheep farming.
This is reflected in the number of sheep in the country, which currently stands at about 3.2 million, in comparison to 5.5 million seven years ago, according to McNamara.
Later on Farmland
In the second half of the episode, Agriland’s technical beef specialist Breifne O’Brien discusses the new anaerobic digestion plant at the Teagasc Grange College with building officer, JJ Lenehan.
Lenehan outlines the history and plans for the facility, stating that it will begin producing biomethane for exportation to the national grid by the end of this year.
Lenehen explains that the digester will be fed with a mix of slurry from about 750 animals on the farm, and silage from approximately 70ha.
As production gets up and running, it is expected that 75m³ of raw biogas and 45m³ of biomethane will be produced every day, which is the equivalent of 1,000L of diesel.
Gas Networks Ireland has expressed an interest in the renewable gas produced on the site according to Lenehan, however he said that Teagasc also plans to investigate the possibility of using the gas for vehicle fuel.
The episode of Farmland will be available this evening on the Agriland platform. All episodes can be streamed via the award-winning digital platform agriland.ie, and links to the programme will also be available across Agriland social media platforms.
All episodes of Farmland can be viewed by clicking here. The Farmland podcast is also available to download or stream on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to podcasts.