Ministers McConalogue and Heydon welcome scientific advancement in feed and manure additives research to reduce methane emissions
- Published on: 23 October 2023
- Last updated on: 8 December 2023
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, and Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon, today announced new scientific advancements in feed additives to reduce livestock methane.
The announcement comes ahead of the upcoming “Agriculture and Climate Change – Science into Action” conference on 15 November 2023 at the Aviva Stadium.
The additives were tested in indoor beef systems but have the potential for use in pasture-based systems. The research also demonstrated significant potential for slurry additives to inhibit and reduce emissions from manure storage.
The significant findings come from the project ‘Meth-Abate’ which is supported by €1.248 million of funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland. The collaborative research is led by Professor Sinead Waters in Teagasc and Professor Vincent O’Flaherty in University of Galway, with Northern Irish partners Queen’s University Belfast and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI).
The project, which began in 2019, has demonstrated:
- a new ruminant feed additive that can reduce methane emissions by 28% in indoor systems in beef cattle. The research is now progressing to further validate this and to investigate the potential for it to be formulated in pellet form or as a bolus for longer-lasting effects to facilitate application in pasture-based production systems
- a 30% reduction of indoor methane emissions in growing beef cattle offered a forage-based diet with the inclusion of the dietary supplementation 3-NOP
- a >80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from long-term storage of liquid manures and slurries using a new oxidising slurry additive. Further research and demonstration trials are ongoing to test its use in Irish systems
Commenting on these important scientific advancements, Minister McConalogue said:
"We know that methane accounts for the majority of Ireland's agricultural greenhouse gases, mainly from livestock but also stored slurries and manures. We also know the importance of our ruminant farming sector to the economy and to rural Ireland. Suffice to say this research demonstrating the potential of feed and manure additives to reduce emissions from livestock farming is very welcome. Further research, funded by my department, is underway to move this technology from being successful in an indoor system to being successful and utilisable in our world-renowned outdoor pasture-based system. I will continue to support science that brings forward effective solutions for farmers, and our upcoming Agriculture and Climate Change conference will be a valuable opportunity to discuss both the science that is policy and implementation ready but also where emerging science could lead us in the future.”
Minister of State Heydon said:
“I am a firm believer that science and innovation can provide the solutions we need to reduce the emissions profile of our food production in Ireland. Feed and manure additives have the potential to play a significant part in this. This collaborative work bringing together both North and South and with industry, is to be highly commended.
“These early findings are indicative of the strong scientific advancements that will be presented at the forthcoming Agriculture and Climate Change conference on 15 November, and the next steps that will be taken to develop additives that are suited to our pasture-based livestock systems.”
Co-ordinator of the Meth-Abate project, Professor Sinead Waters, said:
“The ‘Meth-Abate’ team are delighted to report that this project has facilitated the evaluation and development of promising feed and manure additives. We have demonstrated that dietary supplementation in an Irish indoor beef system can significantly reduce methane emissions from several feed additives. While research continues the development of the effectiveness of these additives for pasture-based systems, we are excited at the preliminary results coming from our work.”
Photo Caption: L-R Prof Vincent O’Flaherty (University of Galway), Prof David Kenny (Teagasc Grange, Head of Animal & Bioscience Department), Prof Sinead Waters (Teagasc Grange), Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Martin Heydon.
Notes
Meth-Abate Project
The ‘Meth-Abate’ project is investigating ‘Development and validation of novel technologies to reduce methane emissions from pasture based Irish agricultural systems’. It was awarded funding of €1.248 million through the department’s 2019 competitive national research Call, with funding of €980,610 awarded by DAFM and co-funding of €267,611 provided by DAERA, Northern Ireland.
The project is led by Prof. Sinead Waters of Teagasc Grange, with Prof. Vincent O’Flaherty of the University of Galway as the co-Principal Investigator. Collaborating institutes in Northern Ireland are Queens University Belfast and the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (AFBI).
The objective of Meth-Abate is to investigate a number of existing feed and slurry additives and to develop new novel technologies to mitigate methane emissions from stored manures, and sheep, dairy and beef production, while simultaneously monitoring their effects on animal productivity. For pasture-based delivery, technologies for encapsulation to ensure slow release and early-life supplementation strategies will also be developed. This research is underway, but results are not yet available. The effect of these technologies on the nutritional and toxicological composition of meat and milk are also being investigated to confirm consumer safety of the additives.
The feed additive results from the Meth-Abate project were recently published at the annual meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science in Lyon, France, between 26 August and 1 September 2023 (EAAP 2023 – Lyon 2023 EAAP Annual Meeting).
Agri-Climate Conference
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will host a national conference ‘Agriculture and Climate Change - Science into Action’ on Wednesday 15 November 2023 at the Aviva Stadium.
The conference will have a strong focus on the science and policy as they relate to agriculture and climate change, including the science that is ready for policy consideration and implementation by industry, and where the science and policy are “heading”. Speakers, national and international, will be drawn from their field of expertise. Further details about the conference and how to register can be found on the conference website at: www.agclimateconf.com.
Climate Action Plan 2023 (CAP23), launched in December 2022, is the second annual update to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2019.
This plan is the first to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, and following the introduction of economy-wide carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings.
Implementation of the Climate Action Plan will create jobs, new economic opportunities and protect people and the planet.