Teagasc National Farm Survey Environmental Sustainability Indicators - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Teagasc National Farm Survey Environmental Sustainability Indicators

Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS)

• Annual, nationally representative dataset
• Approx. 900 farms each year
• Dairy, Cattle, Sheep, Tillage
• Originally focused on farm accounts
• EU Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN)
• Increasingly detailed physical data
• Emphasis on environmental impacts

Teagasc Presentation Footer 2

NFS Sustainability Indicators

• Annual metrics to describe farm-level sustainability
• Environmental, Economic, Social, Innovation
• 2 main environmental indicators in 2015 report
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Nitrogen Balance

Teagasc Presentation Footer 3

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

• On farm energy and fuel use
• Agricultural Emissions

GHG emissions and profitability

• Emissions efficiency of production
• Variation between farms

Teagasc Presentation Footer 6

Agricultural Emissions Energy Emissions

Nitrogen Balance

• Nitrogen inputs
• Purchased feed and livestock
• Synthetic fertiliser application
• Manure transfers
• Nitrogen outputs
• Crop and livestock sales
• Livestock products

Teagasc Presentation Footer 7

N balance and profitability

• N application sig. production input
• Efficiency of N applied varies

Teagasc Presentation Footer 8

Nitrogen surplus Milk output per surplus N

Trends over time

• E.g. Nitrogen balance
• Highlights variations in performance, and

underlying market/meteorological effects

Conclusions

• The NFS can provide an excellent

source for environmental metrics

• Link to finances and management
• Highlight underlying drivers
• Scope for improvements or support
• On-going work to improve accuracy

and add further important indicators

Teagasc Presentation Footer 10