The IFA’s Smart Farming initiative is targeting €250,000 in savings for farmers in 2019 as its work activities get under way this month at a spring seminar.

Improving farm returns and enhancing the rural environment will be the focus of the seminar which is to be held on Tuesday 30 April in the Midlands Park Hotel.

Farmers and representatives from the Department of Agriculture, UCD and Teagasc will address the seminar. There will also be a presentation from the locally led Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment (BRIDE) project in Co Cork.

Access to the Department’s €10m on-farm renewable fund, the role of crude protein in an animal’s diet and alternative enterprise systems will all be discussed.

Sustainability

Minister for Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton launched the Smart Farming 2019 programme and praised it as being an example as to how agriculture can take the lead on sustainability.

“In 2018, the average farm saved €7,170 while reducing their emissions by 9%. That is a fantastic result for the individual farmer and I encourage all those interested to get involved and see how they too could benefit from these improved practices,” the minister said.

Laura Burke, director general of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, which represent one-third of Ireland’s total emissions, were a clear challenge.

She added that while Smart Farming demonstrated reduced emissions were achievable, the programme’s future success would be determined by mainstream implementation in the wider farming community.

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