Sustainability - at the heart of food production in Ireland Thomas - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Sustainability - at the heart of food production in Ireland

Thomas Ryan National Sustainable Transport IFA Environment Executive & Business Conference L.I.T Campus Thurles

• Co. Tipperary

25th May 2017

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Sustainability

“…sustainability is not just about the environment. It’s also economic and social sustainability for farming and wider rural communities. This in my view is what success really looks like, when the policy and political processes intersect to deliver on the multiple

• bjectives of environmental, economic and social sustainability

and we really have a sustainable and vibrant future.”

Joe Healy, IFA President, MacGill Summer School, 20th July 2016

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Sustainability in Farming

• 90% of beef exports are in an audit & carbon foot printing

programme.

• 100% of milk production is entering into a carbon auditing

cycle.

• Over 100,000 carbon assessments completed on farms to

date – as part of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme.

• Almost 90% of the measures in Ireland’s Rural Development

Programme have climate reducing elements.

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Sustainability in Farming

• GLAS scheme – over the next five years
• 90,000 hectares of land with a crop cover, delivering

almost 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide savings annually.

• Minimum tillage being used across 30,000 hectares of

land, sequestering over 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

• 1.4 million metres of new hedgerows, sequestering

almost 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.

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Outcomes

• Irish dairy farming – lowest GHG emissions in EU.
• Irish beef farming – fifth lowest GHG emissions in EU.
• Emissions intensity per calorie of food output
• 14% below 2005 levels in 2013
• 25% below 2005 levels by 2030 (proj.)

Source: EPA 2015 6

Sustainability – The Challenge

• “Official projections of greenhouse gas emissions indicate

that Ireland will not meet its 2020 emission targets”

Climate Change Advisory Council, First Report, November 2016

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Sustainability – A Farm Gate Response

• ECO - nomics
• Improving Farm Returns
• Enhancing the Environment

Source: Teagasc

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Sustainability – A Farm Gate Response

Smart Farming – Guiding Principles

• Smart Farming Initiative - collaborative & voluntary
• Collaboration

– Using existing knowledge and expertise – Improve farm returns and deliver environmental benefits – Through better resource management

Capturing the Environmental Dividend

• Carbon accounting
• Nutrient management planning
• Energy savings
• Water quality & silage quality analysis

Capturing the Environmental Dividend

• Carbon accounting

Enterprise Type Suckler calf to beef Measure GHG Change Comment

Grazing season – suckler cows

• 2.8%

Turnout 2 weeks earlier and house 2 weeks later Grazing season – yearlings/followers

• 1.6%

Turnout 2 weeks earlier and house 1 week later Age at first calving On target of 24 months Calving rate

• 13.3%

Almost 20% of target Live weight performance On target – 1270 g/day of age N efficiency

• 2.0%

Surplus N feed Slurry spreading timing

• 0.6%

Increase % spring application by 10%

Total

• 20.3%

Capturing the Environmental Dividend

• Carbon accounting

Enterprise Type Dairy Measure GHG Change Comment

Grazing season length

• 2.9%

Turnout part-time and full time 1 week earlier each. House part-time 10 days later EBI

• 3.0%

Scope to improve EBI by 15 points – breed for milk production and fertility Nitrogen Efficiency +0.8% Increase N use (20 kg N/ha grass) Reduce meal feed to cows ( 249kg/cow) Slurry spreading timing

• 1.4%

Increase spring application by 10% Energy efficiency

• 0.5%

Energy source

Total

• 7.0%

2017 Activity

• 2017

– 1,000 farmers across over 50 discussion groups, purchasing groups & IFA branches – Master in Agricultural Innovation - UCD

• Develop decision support tools for interpreting and acting on

results of water quality and silage quality tests

Who’s talking - Smart Farming

Who’s talking - Smart Farming

+ 110,000 FOLLOWERS

Who’s talking - Smart Farming

What makes Smart Farming different

• Collaboration
• Adaptive leadership approach*

– Those with the challenge are leading their response to addressing it. – Move away from technical approach.

*See “Becoming an Adaptive Leader” (Heifetz & Linsky, 2011)

Acknowledgement

Thank you

www.smartfarming.ie