Teagasc has begun new research which is solely focused on improving both economic and environmental sustainability of agricultural systems.

Director of VistaMilk SFI Research Centre Donagh Berry of Teagasc said: “Ireland now boasts equipment to measure methane emissions on sheep and cattle which can be used to evaluate breeding and management techniques to reduce animal methane emissions.”

Teagasc researcher Donal O’Brien has demonstrated a reduction of 14% of carbon dioxide equivalents per kilogramme of milk solids produced by a modern dairy cow compared with a cow at the turn of the century.

Funding

Funding provided from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine’s GREENBREED project has allowed four new methane production measuring machines to be installed at the national performance test station operated by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) where up to 600 animals will be tested annually.

Leading VistaMilk technician Katie Starsmore commented: “These systems will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative complementary feeds in reducing methane production and results of complementary feed in comparison to confinement production has been positive.”

Trialling the research

Research has just began on measuring methane emissions in sheep using portable accumulation chambers. The first lambs to be trialled will be at the INZAC trial at Teagasc Athenry, which is evaluating alternative Irish and New Zealand genotypes.

Katie Starsmore, leading VistaMilk technican setting up the Greenfeed system located in Teagasc Moorepark, the first Greenfeed systems in Ireland to measure methane emsissions outdoors.

The sole focus of the research is to improve all efficiencies at farm level and, by extension, output per unit carbon dioxide equivalent, ultimately reducing daily methane emissions in sheep and cattle populations.

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