01 December 2022

Launch of the Teagasc Climate Action Strategy

The Teagasc Climate Action Strategy 2022-2030 – ‘Supporting Farmers for Climate Action’ has been launched today, Thursday, 1 December by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD.

Speaking at an event at the Teagasc campus in Ashtown, Dublin, Minister Charlie McConalogue said; “The key to the agriculture sector meeting its climate ambitions is science-based and innovative science research. This is the ace up our sleeve and I know that the new Climate Action Strategy by Teagasc will be a key component of what we need to do over the next decade.”

"Farm families have been on a journey towards lower carbon systems for some time. We are now stepping forward those ambitions and we stand full square behind them on this future journey.”

Chairman of the Teagasc Authority, Liam Herlihy said; “There are three significant initiatives being taken by Teagasc, and supported by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine and other partners, to support farmers and the agriculture and food sector in addressing the climate challenge we all face.”

Philip Carroll, Chair of Meat Industry Ireland; Tim Cullinan, President, IFA; Minister Charlie McConalogue TD, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Marie Donnelly, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council; Pat Murphy, Dairy Industry Ireland and Dr Anne-Marie Butler, Head of Education, Teagasc pictured at the launch of the Climate Action Strategy in Teagasc Ashtown

Teagasc Climate Action Strategy 2022-2030 which was launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today, Thursday 1 December, 2022 at the Teagasc Food Research Centre, Ashtown. Pictured L to R: Philip Carroll, Chair of Meat Industry Ireland; Tim Cullinan, President, IFA; Minister Charlie McConalogue, TD; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Marie Donnelly, Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council; Pat Murphy, Dairy Industry Ireland and Dr Anne-Marie Butler, Head of Education, Teagasc.

The three pillars of the Teagasc Climate Action Strategy are establishing;

A Signpost Advisory Programme
A Sustainability Digital Platform
A Virtual National Centre for Agri-food Climate Research and Innovation

Teagasc Director, Professor Frank O Mara said; “Our ambition is to deliver a world leading Climate Advisory Service for farmers and an accelerated research programme to address emissions reduction and carbon offsetting. We are mobilising collective resources of Teagasc, ICBF and Bord Bia to build a unique Sustainability Digital Platform. We are doing this from a strong base building on existing strong platforms: the Signpost Programme, state-of-the-art facilities, committed and talented staff.”

Signpost Advisory Programme

A Signpost Demonstration Farm programme was established in 2021, in collaboration with 120 signpost demonstration farmers and over 60 partner organisations, semi states, industry, and farm organisations.

The new Signpost Advisory Programme will target to enrol 50,000 farmers in this free service to establish an action plan for each individual farm and bring about the change required on Irish farms.

Digital Sustainability Platform

Teagasc, ICBF and Bord Bia are collaborating in the development of a Digital Sustainability Platform. This digital platform will allow farmers and advisors to benchmark current emissions on an individual farm and make a plan to take action to reduce these. ‘Know my Number - Make my Plan’ is the tagline for this initiative. This tool will be developed over time to include carbon sequestered on the farm as well as emissions.

Virtual National centre for Agri food Climate Research and Innovation

Teagasc are establishing a new “virtual centre” to co-ordinate climate research and innovation programmes and accelerate efforts to bring “almost ready” and “early stage” technologies required for adoption at farm level to fruition.

This will provide a central independent focal point in Ireland for the co-ordination and dissemination of agricultural climate change research and innovation to all stakeholders, including wider society. The new centre will co-ordinate current activities, along with new planned areas of activity across the Urgent Areas of Work set out in the Action strategy. It will also provide visible leadership, nationally and internationally in the area of agri-food climate research.

Professor Frank O Mara concluded by saying; “We want an agri-food industry that is meeting its climate commitments and is sustainable in all its dimensions, environmentally, economically and socially.”

For more information and to read the Climate Action Strategy documented visit www.teagasc.ie/climateaction