Farmers might be able to claim a Government subsidy for using methane-reducing feed additives, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said.

The €14bn Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund, announced by the Government in last October’s budget, could be used to subsidise the cost of methane-reducing supplements, he told the Irish Farmers Journal podcast this week.

Referring to the agriculture sector’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, Minister McConalogue pointed out that 60% of the measures in the Teagasc MACC curve would not only reduce emissions, but also save farmers money.

He added that there was “real, significant capacity” for feed additives to make more progress in reaching the 25% sectoral target.

“I see real space around [the new fund] to be able to try and draw down some funding to support a reduction of emissions, while making sure we continue to be as productive in terms of producing beef or lamb or dairy,” he said. Pressed on whether farmers would be able to draw a direct subsidy from the fund for feed additives, he said: “That’s one of the areas I’d certainly want to explore, to be able to do that.

“We’re putting a lot of investment at the moment, through Teagasc in particular, into researching the capacity of feed additives to work in a grass-based environment as opposed to an indoor environment,” he added. Some €3.15bn of the €14bn fund will be ring-fenced for climate action and nature restoration projects from 2026 onwards.

Minister McConalogue was speaking in an exclusive interview as part of the Irish Farmers Journal’s 1,000th podcast.

Listen to the full podcast on farmersjournal.ie/podcast or by scanning the code below. Listeners will also be in with a chance to win €1,000.