Agriculture

Nitrates Regulations

The continued implementation of the Nitrates Directive is having and will continue to have an impact on our greenhouse gas emissions, as it results in better use of nutrients with consequently less nitrogen applications and therefore less nitrous oxide emissions. Its introduction was accompanied by a grant aid scheme to help farmers comply with the provisions of the scheme.

For more information, see the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.

Organic Farming

Organic farming was supported through the Department’s Organic Farming Scheme 2007-2013, and continues to be supported under the Organic Farming Action Plan 2013-2015. The Action Plan has four main objectives: increase the production base in Ireland, with a view to replacing where possible imports with Irish organic produce; promote awareness of the potential export market; seek to develop sustainable export markets for Irish organic produce as supplies become available; and to identify issues which are impeding the growth of the Organic Sector with an emphasis on developing solutions.

The target of 5% of land area under organic production is set out in the Food Harvest 2020 Report. One of the specific provisions of organic farming is to avoid the use of nitrogen fertiliser. This will reduce emissions associated with fertiliser use on the farms converted to organic production.

Good Agricultural and Environmental practice

Farmers must maintain their land in good condition. This eliminates emissions associated with poor practices that could give rise to leaching or loss of soil carbon and damage to the soil structure which could damage drainage and increase nitrous oxide emissions. It also prevents the loss of soil carbon by limiting the area of grassland that can be converted to tillage.

Bioenergy Grant Aid

Energy crops can play a role in mitigating GHG emissions. That is why the Bioenergy Scheme provides establishment grants to farmers to grow miscanthus and willow for the production of biomass suitable for use as a renewable source of energy. The Scheme aims to increase the production of willow and miscanthus in Ireland and to encourage alternative land use options. Aid is payable on 50% of the approved costs associated with establishing the crop, subject to a maximum payment rate of €1,300 per hectare. More information can be found on the Department of Agriculture's website.

The Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFF) Stimulus Fund

Through the Research Stimulus Fund, DAFF contributes to building and maintaining a knowledge economy in the agriculture sector, spanning production agriculture, animal and plant health, agri-environment and rural economy. The DAFF Research Stimulus Fund (RSF) has provided in the region of €15.5 million in funding for research to find ways to reduce GHG emissions from the agriculture sector. These projects examine agricultures ability to contribute to Ireland meeting its GHG targets as set out under the Kyoto Protocol, they investigate strategies to reduce methane and nitrous oxide from livestock and manure recycling and investigate ways in which agriculture can contribute to our future energy needs through the production of energy crops and the utilization of grassland as an energy crop.

Teagasc

• Research activities: This includes research work to identify the processes involved in the release of greenhouse gases from the sector and strategies to reduce these emissions. Teagasc also have a substantial programme of research aimed at improving the efficiency of production in the sector. This programme has had significant success in reducing emissions associated with food production so that food produced in Ireland has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world. This programme interalia aims to increase the use of grass in the diet as well as improving other production parameters that impact on GHG emissions.

The Teagasc research and advisory programme aims to reduce costs to farmers by improving farm practices, reducing inputs, including fertilisers and introducing new farm management techniques. Many of these techniques, e.g. growing of clover in pastures, nutrient management planning, extension of the grazing season, etc, have a direct impact on the reduction of emissions at farm level.

Increased Forest Cover

“Growing for the Future”, the Strategic Plan for the Development of the Forestry Sector in Ireland, aims to increase forest cover to 17% of the land area by 2030. Ireland’s forest estate currently occupies 10% of the total land area and the total carbon store within this estate currently exceeds one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The Department of Agriculture and Food Afforestation Schemes

The DAFF Afforestation Schemes provides generous grants and annual forest premiums to landowners who plant new forests. The qualifying area can be a small as 0.1 hectare (for broadleaf species). Further information about forestry grants is available at the Department of Agriculture Fisheries And Food website. DAFF are committed to funding research into climate change mitigation and adaptation in Irish forests through the various research programmes (www.coford.ie). Recent COFORD research estimates that those forests established since 1990 ( Kyoto forests) will sequester 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the 5-year period to the end of 2012. Forestry offers significant potential to replace carbon-emitting imported fossil fuel with carbon-neutral indigenous wood-fuels. COFORD is funding a national programme of research and development in the wood energy area.