‘No single silver bullet’ to drive major cut in farm emissions

There is no single standout measure that could be implemented on farms to substantially reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the years ahead, new Teagasc modelling has found.

Teagasc’s number crunching determined that agricultural emissions could reduce between 38% and 48% by 2050 below 2018’s baseline, but that these reductions would only occur if measures are adopted close to the maximum extent possible.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the greatest potential to reduce farm emissions – the modelling figure that gave an almost halving of emissions by 2050 - would only come from this widespread adoption being coupled with a decline in farming sector activity, resulting in lower livestock numbers and lower output.

The paper’s authors were keen to point out that the analysis does not represent a forecast or prediction of the sector’s future fortunes, rather it is modelling of various ‘what if’ scenarios.

Challenge

The authors said that the connection between emissions and levels of activity highlights the challenge of balancing emissions reduction efforts with levels of farm productivity.

They also stated that methane cutting feed additives are currently an “immature technology” in the context of grass-based systems, with effects that are “variable and highly uncertain” depending on the additive used.

The paper assumed that feed additives could cater for one-sixth of emissions reduction achieved by 2050.

However, this figure was underpinned by there being new additives that could cut methane by 20% in grazing systems and these would be provided to 90% of dairy cows while at grass, as well as 70% of all other cattle and one-fifth of all sheep during housing periods.