AGRICULTURE IS SYNONYMOUS with Ireland.
For 6,000 years, dairy has played a role in Irish society. Nowadays, Ireland has 17,500 family dairy farms that support 55,000 jobs here. The story of dairy here isn’t contained to just Ireland – nearly 90% of our dairy produce is exported to 130 countries.
It all adds up to a contribution of approximately €6.3 billion to the Irish economy each year. Dairy is one of Ireland’s most celebrated commodities, and it’s recognised across the globe. With butter that consistently appears on the tables of Michelin star restaurants and creamy milk that is often described as the envy of other countries, Irish dairy consistently ranks amongst the best in the world.
Like other industries in this country, dairy farming is tackling the issue of climate change. For a start, the Irish Climate Action Act 2021 declared that agriculture must reduce its emissions by 25% by 2030. As well as that, the EU Water Framework Directive requires all EU states to achieve ‘good’ status in their waterways by 2027.
With Ireland’s dairy industry accounting for 37% of greenhouse gas emissions created in the country, there is a recognition that work needs to be done. Irish farmers have proven that they are ready to be a part of the solution when it comes to addressing climate change.
16,190 Irish farmers have signed up to sustainability programmes that aim to make greener dairy. Enda Walsh, from Oranmore, Co Galway is a farmer with a focus and a milking herd of 320 crossbred cows.
The Walsh family has been adapting their practices for several years to align with environmental targets. “The most significant change has been fertiliser management,” Enda says. “We’ve already planted clover in 30% of our pasture, and our use on that pasture has reduced by 65 percent.”
Four years ago, he planted 400 metres of hedgerows to act as a carbon sink for the farm. “There are farmers all over the country working on initiatives like this that don’t get the recognition they deserve,” Enda says.
We need people to listen to us and understand that we want the best for the environment, the country and our farms,” he adds.
Agreeing with Enda is Caroline Hanrahan and her husband Ger. The couple run her family’s farm near Ballyhooly in north Cork, which has been passed down for six generations.
Caroline says that she and many farmers across the country are “on board” for the challenges involved in emissions reduction.
Alongside increased clover use, Caroline also manages their breeding policy in line with green practices, using the Economic Breeding Index (EBI) to ensure a more carbon-friendly cow.
It is hugely important that we farm in the right manner; one that is both economically and environmentally sustainable,” Caroline said.
In Waterford, Niall Moore farms with his wife in Annestown. They milk 130 cows using a robotic milking system.
Niall is invested in improving water quality on farms. Over 420 water improvement projects are in place on Irish farms. One of these projects is run in conjunction with Waterford County Council and scientist Dr Rory Harrington and sees farmers install reed bed filtration systems on their farm to deal with yard run off water.
“You have a series of ponds that are planted with reeds,” Niall says. “The topsoil is then put back into the ponds, the reeds are planted in these ponds and your yard run off comes down into each pond. The reeds take out the nitrates, the potassium, and the phosphorus, and the water then filters through that system, goes off into another pond and constantly filters down.”
The filtration system purifies water that might have been contaminated from the farm. It has the added benefit of increasing biodiversity on the farm itself, creating new environments for wildlife.
The work that Christopher, Caroline and Niall are carrying out is helping Irish dairy head in the right direction when it comes to the climate. The efforts they are making on their farms are reflected across many of the 17,500 family dairy farms in operation here.
New technology and methods, such as the innovative reed bed filters, are consistently being adapted to help achieve the target emissions reduction. This buy-in from farmers is helping the industry become greener and shows the acknowledgment of responsibility, especially in the area of emissions, that lies with dairy farming.
Learn more at NDC.ie.
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