There will be an increase in funding of almost €10m for climate-related agricultural research, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Martin Heydon has announced.

The new budget will provide for an increase of just under €9.5m compared with 2020 and it will bring total investment in climate-related research to over €25m out to 2025, Minister Heydon said ahead of the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C) Summit taking place in Washington DC this week.

AIM4C brings together partners to try to increase investment and support for climate action within agriculture.

Increased investment

When joining the initiative, Ireland, through the Department of Agriculture, committed to increasing investment in climate-related agriculture and food systems research by 40% over the period from 2021 to 2025.

At the 2023 summit, Minister Heydon will commit to further increase the investment by 60%.

In his remarks to the summit’s ministerial meeting, Minister Heydon said: “We need even more science, research and innovation in our food production systems to ensure not only that we continue to produce food but also that we do so more sustainably.

“Already, our investment is yielding tangible tools for farmers and the agri-food sector to reduce emissions.

"For example, we recently had a major breakthrough in how to select and breed lower-methane-emitting cattle through a €3m Department funded project called GreenBreed," he said.

Global initiative

Minister Heydon also announced Ireland’s intention to join a global initiative to accelerate the development of methane-mitigating technologies for livestock systems.

“Our intention is to join the 'aim for climate innovation sprint' known as the ‘enteric fermentation R&D accelerator’.

"The focus areas of the sprint, which include feed additives and genetic tools to reduce methane emissions, are closely aligned with Ireland's existing research priorities.

"We know there is promising technologies in development, we now need to accelerate their deployment across industry and at farm level," he said.

Malawi

Separately, Minister Heydon also announced a new Irish Aid-USAID collaboration to advance sustainable food systems in Malawi.

"Last month, Ireland was honoured to welcome home President Biden. In his address, he referred to the US and Ireland’s strong collaboration on food security and child malnutrition.

"Building on this, I am delighted to announce that, with USAID, we will together invest US$75m in Malawi under an 'aim for climate innovation sprint' to support the transformation of food systems to become more climate resilient, promote green energy transition and provide more nutritious, safe food, as well as an adequate income for smallholder farmers, especially female farmers," he said.

This initiative, he added, will also support strengthened food safety and enterprise development, including support for food technology and quality standards through Sustainable Food Systems Ireland, a partnership of Irish Government agencies.