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Soil Organic Carbon: A review of ‘critical’ levels and practices to increase levels in tillage land in Ireland
Soil Organic Carbon: A review of ‘critical’ levels and practices to increase levels in tillage land in Ireland

It is an inherent part of the EU CAP that in order to receive the single farm payment a farmer must meet (amongst other thing) a minimum environmental standard (cross compliance) and to keep land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC). The GAEC conditions are set by the EU but the actions to achieve them are defined by Member States, the conditions include; standards related to soil protection, maintenance of soil organic matter and soil structure, and maintenance of habitats and landscape, including the protection of permanent pasture.

15 July 2010
Type
Submission
Some Agronomic, Economic and Environmental Considerations associated with the Nitrate Directive and the Tillage Sector
Some Agronomic, Economic and Environmental Considerations associated with the Nitrate Directive and the Tillage Sector

The requirement to establish a green cover within six weeks of ploughing/cultivating land destined for spring crops, where the ploughing/cultivation takes place before January 15th, is causing difficulties for Irish cereal growers. The main concerns, about the effective ban on ploughing before January 15th, include yield reduction and extra costs caused by difficulty in achieving good seedbeds. There are also concerns about pest and disease carryover, machine capacity and malting barley quality. These potential implications were considered in this review.

14 July 2010
Type
Submission
Straw for Energy
Straw for Energy

Straw is a by-product resulting from the growing of commercial crops, primarily cereal grain. Ireland’s area under cereals amounts to almost 300,000 hectares and yielding approximately 1.1m tonnes of straw. The traditional markets for straw include, animal bedding, animal feed and chopping and plough back to increase soil carbon content. Straw has been used in other EU countries for decades as a combustion fuel for both heat and electricity production.

01 June 2010
Type
Factsheet
Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic Digestion

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is the conversion of feedstock (any organic non-woody material) by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen into biogas and digestate. It is a natural process and is well understood by mankind having been harnessed for many years.

01 June 2010
Type
Factsheet