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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 (24 Mar 2022)

Brian Leddin: We will have to go into private session to show the video. It is an unusual departure for us to have videos at a committee meeting.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

The joint committees went into private session at 10.44 a.m. and resumed in public session at 10.48 a.m.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

The joint committees went into private session at 10.50 a.m. and resumed in public session at 10.53 a.m.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Michael Earls: We hope members have seen at first-hand how our technology can help to meet our emissions targets. I am sure they would like to know how an emissions fund might work and what it might cost. Our view is that we would need a commitment to fund emission reductions from now until 2030. We estimate that a fund of €30 million to €40 million per annum would be...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Michael Earls: We have between 18% and 20% cover at this stage. That fund would complete another 50% of the farms in Ireland, which is around 53,000 farms. That is where we are getting our figures from.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Brian Leddin: I welcome our guests and thank them for coming up to us to share their technology and understanding of the sector. It is appreciated and I welcome this science-led approach. The videos the witnesses showed us in the private session were interesting. I want to ask about the 54% methane reduction. I accept that it is independently peer-reviewed but I want to get clarity. The witnesses...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

...emitted from housing and storage, typically two thirds, or close to 70%, of ammonia comes from the floor and one third comes from the tank. Therefore, it is significantly reduced. With the application of both technologies together, the ammonia from the tank can be reduced by 51% and from the floor by more than 30%. On the Deputy’s question on the slurry technology system, there...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Ronan Boyle: We would always look at it as what one is trying to do is alter the microbiology of the manure. When manure leaves an animal and enters a tank, it is in an anaerobic state. From there, anaerobic activity typically is what causes emissions on farms. It is the reason why ammonia and methane are released. It is the microbiology that is happening down in the tank. When...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Ronan Boyle: A network of pipes is fixed to the floor. They all run back to a compressor, which drives air through the network. Each area of the tank gets treated with air twice per day for roughly four and a half minutes for each location. That is the treatment of the manure. The system makes sure the manure is consistent as opposed to having solids at the bottom, water in the...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Not matter how good one is at it.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Ronan Boyle: I thank the Senator for that question. Much of our effort, from a research point of view, has been concentrated in Holland over the past ten years primarily because Holland has probably led the way, in the world at this stage, in on-farm emission reductions. The slurry technology system we have has been available and sold in Holland for the past 12 or 14 years. Quite a...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Paul Daly: As regards Teagasc and the Department here at home, I have seen numerous studies Teagasc has been involved in, along with beef factories and individual farmers, with regard to the mat, where a comparison of the animal on concrete, on peat, on straw, on rubber and on concrete without rubber was done. Has EASYFIX had any dealings with Teagasc regarding the slurry aeration system? Has it had...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Michael Earls: I will take that question. We have had a lot of contact with the Department over the past nine months in particular. I remind the Senator we only acquired the technology approximately 18 months ago. Some eight months ago, the Minister visited EASYFIX and we briefed him on what we had. We brought him to some farms where the technology was working. He was very impressed...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Ronan Boyle: We have not undertaken any research with Teagasc regarding our slurry technology system. Teagasc is in the process of looking at taking measurements on slat rubber from an emissions point of view but, to date, we have not engaged regarding our slurry technology.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Richard Bruton: Some of my questions have been touched on but I will clarify Senator Daly's point. Teagasc has had a look at various technologies and actions by farmers that could reduce emissions. It has shown what they cost and whether they have a positive benefit for farmers - in other words, whether they are a net gain for the farm, whether they are more efficient and whether everything is better -...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Mr. Ronan Boyle: I will address the first part of the Deputy's question relating to the MAC curve. The current MAC curve as done by Teagasc is mainly focused around feed additives and genetics. That is probably linked to where the research is focused at present. The Deputy may be aware that the MAC curve is currently under review and that new technologies and other abatement measures are...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Sitting suspended at 11.45 a.m. and resumed at 11.49 a.m.

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 (24 Mar 2022)

Brian Leddin: I am back in the Chair as Deputy Cahill had to leave to attend to some business. Mr. Paul Price, a research assistant at Dublin City University, has joined us. I apologise for keeping him waiting. The previous section of the session ran over time. I will read the note on privilege before we begin. The witness is attending from outside the parliamentary precincts so unlike witnesses...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

...methane and manure, the 54% reduction is coming from methane which is stored in manure as opposed to enteric methane from the animal. The Co-Chairman asked if funding is in place to support private companies for research and development in technology such as this. Outside of Enterprise Ireland or local LEADER funding that private enterprises may avail of, I am not aware of any Irish...

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 (24 Mar 2022)

...Price: I thank the committees for the opportunity to provide evidence on the crucial subject of reducing Ireland’s agricultural emissions which will be essential in achieving Ireland’s first statutory carbon budget programme as set out in the 2021 climate Act. I am a research assistant in the faculty of engineering and computing at Dublin City University, DCU, researching...