THE latest recommendations on agriculture from the Climate Change Advisory Council [CCAC] have been given a general welcome by farming representatives.

In the report, the CCAC recommends that the Government needs to incentivise the rapid uptake of the high impact and cost effective measures – as outlined by Teagasc – to reduce agricultural emissions.

These include the increased uptake of protected urea fertiliser as well as the use of approved feed additives indoors and the incorporation of additives in slurry that reduce emissions.

Galway IFA Environmental Representative, Henry Walsh, told the Farming Tribune that the farming community were very ‘willing partners’ on the sustainability issue but said that they needed financial supports and incentives to help them achieve these aims.

“The carrot and incentives must be in place and if measures such as increased slurry storage capacity are needed, this requires major capital investment. Farmers on their own can’t afford to fund those facilities – significant grant aid must be provided by central government. We have to be practical about these things,” said Henry Walsh.

He pointed out that some of the measures were ‘very doable’ and already made economic sense such as substituting protected urea for CAN [nitrogen]. “It actually works out cheaper to use protected urea rather than CAN,” said Henry Walsh.

He added that as well as providing financial supports for farmers who needed to make capital investments in facilities, education would also play a key role over the coming years in helping agriculture to achieve emissions’ targets.

Pictured: Henry Walsh: Farmers are willing partners.