No need to cut national herd to reduce emissions, company claims

Ireland's cattle are responsible for a large portion of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. File Picture.

The country does not have to reduce the size of the national herd in order to reduce carbon emissions, an Irish company will tell TDs and senators today.

At a sitting of the Oireachtas agriculture committee, it will be stated that deploying existing technological solutions could dramatically reduce methane emissions and the reliance on harmful fertilisers.

In an opening statement, Irish firm Easyfix will set out that technology such as rubber mats and slurry treatment methods can eliminate the need to cull animals in order to meet our climate targets.

Citing a recent trial by Teagasc, having cattle standing on rubber mats as opposed to concrete in winter delivered a 17% cut in animal performance, equating to a 24% reduction in methane, the committee will hear.

This is because animals are much more comfortable on rubber and lameness and joint swelling is massively reduced, Michael Earls, managing director of Easyfix will say.

Trials showed that the use of rubber slats reduced antibiotic use from 11% of the herd to 0.5%, and lameness levels from 8% down to 0.5%.

“Slat Mats reduce ammonia emissions by rapidly draining urine from the surface of the slat into the tanks below, preventing urine and faeces from mixing and thereby reducing urease activity that causes ammonia to be released,” Mr Earls will say. 

The research from Wageningen shows a very significant reduction of ammonia emissions of between 34%-49%."

On the issue of culling the herd, Mr Earls will say there has been a lot of talk about how we can reduce emissions, but much of this debate has generated more heat than light.

“This should not be a simplistic binary debate that centres on we need to cull the national herd to meet our climate targets,” he will say.

Mr Earls will say that the Government must support the concept of a dedicated emissions reduction fund, and that it should be put in place for Irish agriculture that ringfences funds and links them to emission-reduction targets.