Forward thinking

We are beginning to see the way forward in delivering, at least in the greater part, on the emissions targets set for the farm sector. Achieving that formidable 25 per cent reduction will always be challenging. However, if we get beyond a 20 per cent reduction, there will be few if any other sectors matching that achievement. It would represent an 80 per cent delivery on the set target. That is, in academic terms, an ‘honours’ grade, no mean accomplishment. It will require an accelerated rollout of the most deliverable mitigation measures across Irish farms. We need to enforce the use of protected urea as far as is possible and, likewise, the use of low emission slurry spreading on a majority of our farmland. Those two imposable measures are readily achievable. Other Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) measures are gaining momentum and should be adopted, to a greater or lesser extent, on most farms by the end of 2025. Elsewhere, progress is being made on what might be described as the ‘slow burners’. These include the development of a practical, cost-efficient feed additive. When a bolus-type, slow-release product can be developed, with a high methane-reduction effect, then the term ‘game-changer’ would not be out of place. If there is a net cost to farmers, then we must insist that we are not left out of pocket for an action that is for the benefit of all in society. Breeding for lower-methane-emitting animals is progressing. It takes time but delivers multi-generational benefits. Current progress will accelerate as breeding technologies, driven by artificial intelligence (AI), advance at a pace not seen previously. Mass genotyping of our entire livestock herd will facilitate breeding progress across a range of beneficial traits, including higher productivity.
We have heard enough from the cull-the-herd brigade. We can advance our livestock sector methane-reduction credentials without resorting to crude herd reduction actions. That said, we must continue to guard against Trojan Horse policies that will, ultimately, result in a lower livestock population. Further reductions in, or the complete elimination of the Nitrates Derogation in the coming years would be impossible to achieve without an inevitable herd reduction. There are no economic, environmental or nutritional benefits from reducing cattle numbers. Our stocking rates, on average, are low. What is needed is an improvement in the productivity of much of our farmland. This can be achieved without recourse to a high-input production model. It mostly requires better management practices, improved soil fertility, and the adoption of several cost-neutral or profit-positive measures on farms. Can that be achieved? We cannot countenance failure. Teagasc’s Dr Laurence Shalloo’s ‘dream big’ scenario, presented at the launch of the Padraig Walshe Centre for Sustainable Animal and Grassland Research at Moorepark last month, is a practical proposition. Bring together all the main drivers of emission reduction – feed additives, genetic advances, and carbon sequestration measures – and there is a realistic potential to reduce our carbon equivalent emissions per kilogramme of output to a world-beating 0.39. This does not require unknown technologies or theoretical possibilities. It requires the further development of technologies that are already proven to impact positively on emissions from our farm sector. Across economies and societies, we are already witnessing exponential expansion in knowledge and novel technologies, driven by artificial intelligence. There is every reason to believe that knowledge growth will, as applied to agriculture, allow us to secure the viability of our food production systems, progressing ultimately to a net zero carbon production system. There is no alternative if we are to provide food security for an increasing global population.