Farming for a Better Climate: Practical and Emerging Solutions Conference
The Signpost Programme and the Teagasc Climate Centre hosted a conference titled “Farming for a Better Climate: Practical and Emerging Solutions” today, Tuesday, 11th November at the Tullamore Court Hotel
Pictured at the conference were: Mick Houlihan, senior manager, Agricultural Sustainability, Bord Bia; Dr Lisa Koep, Chief Environmental, Social & Governance Officer, Tirlan and Dr Ben Lahart, Teagasc Moorepark.
The event brought together leading researchers, policymakers, industry personnel and farmers to explore innovative strategies for reducing agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and advancing Ireland’s climate goals.
Speaking at the conference, Mick Houlihan, Bord Bia, highlighted “the increased demands of consumers and international purchasers for verifiable sustainable sourced foods but also stressed the considerable sstrengths we have in Ireland to meet this demand, including robust infrastructure, collaboration between public and private sectors, advanced data use, high-quality production systems, strong regulation, and world-leading research and innovation.”
The one-day event dealt with topics including global sustainability expectations and Ireland’s progress toward meeting them, what’s in the methane toolbox, updates on AgNav and the role of forestry in meeting our greenhouse gas emissions targets. There were research updates on the carbon footprint of Irish grains, hedgerow carbon measurement, fertiliser inhibitors and reducing methane emissions from slurry.
The day concluded with a hands-on Carbon Farming Framework Workshop with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and Department of Climate, Energy, and the Environment (DCEE), allowing participants in the conference to have their say in how this new framework might work in practice.
Karl Richards, Head of the Teagasc Climate Centre, said; “there are plenty of tools and technologies already available to help farmers cut greenhouse gas emissions, and many of these can also make farms more efficient and profitable”. He explained that carbon farming offers another way for farmers to be rewarded for reducing emissions and storing more carbon, if the schemes are simple to use and make financial sense to farmers.
For more information and to read the presentations from today’s conference visit here