Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture were down in the first half of this year, driven by lower fertiliser use and fewer cattle in the national herd.
Nitrogen fertiliser use was back in Q2 2024 on the levels used a year previous. \ Donal O'Leary
ADVERTISEMENT
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest published quarterly indicator report for greenhouse gas emissions points to agricultural emissions falling 4.6% in Q2 2024 when compared with the same quarter in 2023.
The decrease represents 244,000t of CO2 equivalents, which is the second-largest emissions drop of any sector, with electricity reported as having the largest.
The most significant drivers of the reduction in farm emissions were reported to have been a 1.9% decline in the national herd, a 4.4% contraction in milk production and lower nitrogen fertiliser and limestone sales, as these were a respective 13.6% and 23.0% lower than Q2 2023.
ADVERTISEMENT
Changes
These farm-level changes translated into a 14.1% decrease in the emissions from manure management, a 6.8% drop in emissions from farmed soils and a 1.9% decline in the emissions resulting from enteric methane.
Reductions in farming emissions in the second quarter of this year follows an even stronger reduction witnessed in the first three months.
Emissions were down 4.9% in the first half of 2024 compared with the equivalent six months a year previous.
The EPA reported this summer that emissions from agriculture fell 4.6% between 2022 and 2023, as fertiliser use on farms fell by a significant 18%.
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest published quarterly indicator report for greenhouse gas emissions points to agricultural emissions falling 4.6% in Q2 2024 when compared with the same quarter in 2023.
The decrease represents 244,000t of CO2 equivalents, which is the second-largest emissions drop of any sector, with electricity reported as having the largest.
The most significant drivers of the reduction in farm emissions were reported to have been a 1.9% decline in the national herd, a 4.4% contraction in milk production and lower nitrogen fertiliser and limestone sales, as these were a respective 13.6% and 23.0% lower than Q2 2023.
Changes
These farm-level changes translated into a 14.1% decrease in the emissions from manure management, a 6.8% drop in emissions from farmed soils and a 1.9% decline in the emissions resulting from enteric methane.
Reductions in farming emissions in the second quarter of this year follows an even stronger reduction witnessed in the first three months.
Emissions were down 4.9% in the first half of 2024 compared with the equivalent six months a year previous.
The EPA reported this summer that emissions from agriculture fell 4.6% between 2022 and 2023, as fertiliser use on farms fell by a significant 18%.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS