New Teagasc figures on the sustainability metrics of National Farm Survey farms report that the average dairy farm saw greenhouse gas emissions decline for the first time since the abolition of dairy quotas.

Teagasc estimated that the average dairy farm emitted 601.3t of CO2 equivalents in 2024, down on the 607.8t CO2eq reported for the previous year, with the corresponding figure for 2014 being 453.6t CO2eq.

Offset

The drop was reported amid a rise in chemical fertiliser use that was “more than offset by a decrease in overall livestock numbers” on dairy farms, even though milking cow numbers stayed stable on the farms surveyed.

The annual decline in per farm dairy emissions was a trend replicated across all sectors, with the average cattle farm seeing emissions decrease to 126.6t CO2eq in 2024 from 132.0t CO2eq the previous year, again driven by lower livestock numbers.

The tillage and sheep sectors witnessed emissions reductions of over 6t CO2eq and 8t CO2eq respectively.