Mr. Ronan Boyle:

I thank Deputy Browne for the question. He is correct in saying the system will reduce methane by 54%. There are enough scientific studies done to show the numbers stack up. The same is the case for ammonia.

With regard to fertiliser and the nutrient value of manure, when you reduce ammonia you lock in the nitrogen available to plants in the manure. Regarding on-farm performance, nutrient values were probably never more important. We see this demonstrated by the two farmers in the video. Mr. Trevor Crowley, who has been using the system for 17 years, has seen dramatic improvements in performance, particularly regarding soil health. He would state he has a very low chemical fertiliser bill annually. This is also the case for farmer Paddy Prendergast from Kilkenny, who has been using this system for about eight years. When we were doing due diligence work in the system, we carried out many on-farm measurements of the nutrient values of the slurry. There are variations from farm to farm depending on the diet of the animals etc., but we typically see a doubling of the nutrient values in the manure. A fund that would support technology like the system in question would be very welcome for Irish agriculture.