Department targets 20% cut in nitrogen by 2030

A new road map for agriculture and climate change is targeting ambitious cuts in methane, ammonia and nitrogen use on Irish farms over the coming decades.

Lorcan Allen

9 December 2020

Department targets 20% cut in nitrogen by 2030

The Department of Agriculture is targeting a 20% cut in nitrogen use on Irish farms over the next decade. \ Philip Doyle

The Department of Agriculture is targeting a 20% cut in nitrogen use on Irish farms over the next decade.

Unveiling its Ag Climatise roadmap on Wednesday, the Department said it wanted to see nitrogen use fall to just 325,000t per annum by 2030.

In all, the Ag Climatise report sets out 29 actions to be adopted over the coming years to allow Irish agriculture achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Some of the targets outlined in the roadmap are very ambitious, including a 10% cut in ammonia emissions. The Department also wants to more than double the amount of lime being spread on farms to 2m tonnes every year.

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