Achieving climate-friendly beef focus of cross-border research project

12 demonstration farms, located within the six Northern Ireland counties and one in each of the six border counties in Ireland - Donegal, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth and Sligo, will be at the core of a major new research project aiming to help farmers produce climate-friendly beef.

CliBeef, a €5.75 million cross-border project, was launched on Thursday, 7 May at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Hillsborough. The four-year CliBeef project will be led by AFBI and delivered in partnership with Teagasc; Queen’s University Belfast, and AgriSearch.

Researchers will work closely with the 12 farms to develop and trial new practical solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve efficiency while still maintaining production levels. The farms enrolled will be key to its success and impact, as they will provide real world evidence of how to achieve climate-friendly beef.

The CliBeef project will evaluate solutions including novel crops and feed additives in both laboratory and field-based studies. Participating farms will also look at options for making their enterprises more efficient and climate friendly.

Dr Paul Smith, Teagasc Grange, speaking at the launch of The CliBeef project at AFBI in Hillsborough.

Beef systems are a significant contributor to methane emissions across the island of Ireland.  However, methane is a waste of energy within the animal.  Adoption of new solutions at a farm level will enable beef farmers to support these national targets, maintain their production levels, and help build rural economies.

As such, the CliBeef project has the potential to contribute hugely to the agricultural sector’s response to climate challenges by creating practical solutions as part of efforts to reduce methane emissions and the industry’s carbon footprint.

Professor David Kenny, Teagasc, speaking at the launch of the CliBeef project at AFBI in Hillsborough.

The project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), part of a broader initiative to support peace and reconciliation throughout Northern Ireland and the border region of Ireland.

For more on the CliBeef Project, visit here.

Featured image caption: Pictured at the at the launch of The CliBeef project at AFBI in Hillsborough were representatives from AFBI, Teagasc, Queen’s University Belfast, and AgriSearch along with Dr Francis Lively, AFBI Principal Scientific Officer; Prof Elizabeth Magowan, Director of AFBI’s Sustainable Agri-Food Sciences Division; Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs.