Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 31 March 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Joint Meeting with Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action
Exploring Technologies and Opportunities to Reduce Emissions in the Agriculture Sector: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Matthew Macken:

Using variable rate technology, we can break a field into certain grid areas, usually of 1 ha or 2 ha. The field is divided into those grid areas and soil references from each are GPS referenced allowing us to identify different parcels or areas of the field that are lacking or quite high in nutrients. When it comes to spreading, the software communicates with the equipment to only put nutrients exactly where they are needed, based on the soil samples that have been taken. That is correct, yes.