Bord Bia has said it is “not in a position” to calculate a carbon-neutral status of a farm, according to the Origin Green data and analytics manager, Eleanor Murphy.
The board has been calculating the carbon footprint of Irish beef and dairy farms since 2011, with over 290,000 carbon assessments conducted. However, it cannot calculate whether a farm is carbon neutral.
Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks, including soils and forests, according to the European Parliament.
“The research currently being undertaken by Teagasc on farm management activities that are associated with the removal or storage of carbon on Irish livestock production systems is still underway.
“As such we are not in a position to calculate a carbon-neutral status of a farm,” according to the data and analytics manager of Bord Bia’s sustainability programme.
Carbon footprint
As part of the Bord Bia audit process, farmers must complete a sustainability survey which is the only data source required for the carbon footprint calculation that is collected directly from the farmer.
The carbon footprint is the ratio of total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to total outputs of the farm. Bord Bia uses a beef and dairy carbon footprint model to calculate a farm’s carbon footprint.
The board gathers on-farm sustainability and productivity metrics for the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS) and the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS).
The beef and dairy carbon footprint calculation models have been developed with Teagasc and are accredited by the “Carbon Trust to its PAS 2050 Standard”, according to Bord Bia.
Carbon footprint calculations of 33,340 beef and 8,680 dairy farms have been completed by Bord Bia last year as part of its SDAS and SBLAS farm audits.
Beef farms
The average carbon footprint on SBLAS farms in 2023 was 9.34kg of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq)/kg live weight gain (LWG). This is down by 12% from 10.64kg CO2eq/kg LWG since calculations began in the 2014.
However, the carbon footprint for SBLAS members increased by 1% from 9.24kg CO2eq per kg LWG to 9.34kg CO2eq per kg LWG when compared to the 2022 audit, according to Bord Bia.
This slight increase can be attributed to the additional 7,000 new entrants to SBLAS as a requirement for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Program (SCEP), Murphy said.
As the objective of SCEP is to improve the overall sustainability of suckler farmers, Bord Bia said it expects the SBLAS average carbon footprint to “continue to improve”.
Members are “actively engaging in positive actions” associated with GHG mitigation, with 53% of manure applied on farms using low emission slurry spreading (LESS) technology, an increase of 10% on 2022.
While the rate of chemical nitrogen (N) application on SBLAS farms is “low” at 78kg/ha, members have increased their utilisation of protected urea by 10% since tracking began in 2021, Bord Bia said.
Dairy farms
The average carbon footprint of SDAS members last year was 0.90kg CO2eq/kg fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM). The carbon footprint has reduced by 13% from 1.03kg CO2e/kg FPCM since 2014.
The dairy carbon footprint remained constant between the 2022 and the 2023 audit. Feed and fertiliser costs and poor weather conditions have “limited the continued improvement” in the result, Murphy said.
After 10 years of rising average milk solids, 2023 was the first year without an increase in average milk solids per cow, remaining at 443kg after having increased from 429kg in 2021, according to Bord Bia.
However, SDAS members are increasing their uptake in farming practices associated with GHG mitigation, including the use of protected urea and LESS technology, Bord Bia said.
Protected urea made up 25% of chemical fertiliser applied to land in 2023, the highest level since Bord Bia began tracking its usage in 2021. LESS technology is now used by 84% of SDAS members, up from 70% in 2022, Murphy said.