Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan has suggested that measures, such as a switch to multi-species swards, should be taken up by farmers before cuts are made to livestock numbers.

Minister Ryan commented that emerging practices have the ability to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ruminant livestock production in Ireland and that farmers must be adequately compensated for their skills in adopting these measures to ensure uptake is widespread.

The minister said that the approach of legislators must be to provide a pathway for change that will improve farm incomes, as well as reducing emissions, to achieve the best results for the environment.

Herd size

In response to a question on reducing the size of the national herd, Minister Ryan commented that the first step to reducing emissions from the agricultural sector lies in decreasing the amounts of chemical nitrogen used on farms.

“It would happen firstly by reducing our use of nitrogen-based fertilisers because they are oil-based. That is the continued use of fossil fuels and we will now start paying farmers for the real skill they will need in moving towards a different grass system – a multi-sward grass system,” he said.

Multi-species

The minister stated that multi-species swards have the potential to reduce farm costs, improve animal health and reduce agricultural GHG emissions and provide growth benefits in times of drought conditions.

“We will now start paying farmers for the real skill that they will need in moving towards a different grass system, a multi-sward grass system,” he explained.

Funds should be provided, the minister suggested, for farmers to adapt these practices and to award farmers for the skills needed to convert grassland systems to those which emit fewer GHGs.