‘Carbon Navigator’

decision support tool

Pat Murphy1

1 Teagasc, Johnstown Castle

Outline

❑ Objective

❑ Implementation and Partnership

❑ Impact

❑ Future

2

Increased

Efficiency

Cost Negative

WIN - WIN

2012

❑ To raise awareness amongst professionals

❑ To put GHG mitigation on farmer’s agenda

❑ To provide a pathway for improved carbon

efficiency, reduced emissions and profitability

❑ To support the marketing of Irish dairy and beef

produce

The initial objective of the project

❑ Teagasc –Agricultural and Food Development Authority

❑ Agricultural and Food Research

❑ Education

❑ Advisory Services

❑ Bord Bia – Food Marketing Organisation

❑ Marketing of Food – Green Credentials

❑ Quality Assurance Schemes

❑ Adding Sustainability

Farmer Contact – 70% of farmers

A Partnership Approach

❑ On-line

❑ Simple

❑ Focus on practice change and impact – not

emissions level

❑ Adviser operated

❑ Linked to National Data Sets

The Carbon Navigator

❑ To raise awareness

❑ To support ‘conversation’

❑ To indicate impact for emissions and income

❑ To provide direction – How to implement on farm

❑ To persuade

❑ To reinforce efficiency improvement messages

The Carbon Navigator

Use of Carbon Navigator

❑ Initially optional use by advisers

❑ Use in training

❑ Limited use with individual farmers (~1000 farmers per annum)

❑ Inclusion in Agri-environmental and KT Schemes

❑ Mandatory Tasks

❑ Work with adviser to plan

❑ Follow up included (limited)

❑ 25,000 Beef Farmers

❑ 10,000 Dairy Farmers

10

Dairy Farms – How can we reduce Agricultural GHGs

Better slurry and

fertiliser

managementLonger

Grazing

season

Improved

Genetics

Improved Energy

EfficiencyIncreased N

Efficiency

Footprint x Activity = Total emissions

Dairy Output+60%

Achieved significant improvement in Footprint

But

Did we Save the Planet ???

Agriculture GHG emissions profile

7.4%18.2% 12.3%

▪ Cattle account for 88.7 % of methane emissions and 90% of N2O emissions

Irish cattle numbers (‘000)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

200

5

200

6

200

7

200

8

200

9

201

0

201

1

201

2

201

3

201

4

201

5

201

6

201

7

201

8

Total cattle

Total cattle, other

Dairy cows

Other cows

December data from DAFM-AIM

Annual Fertiliser Sales in

Ireland 1975-2018

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

000

to

nn

es

Nitrogen Phosphate Potassium

Source: DAFM

16

GHG emissions (no mitigation)

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Mt

CO

2 E

q

History S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6

Source: FAPRI-Ireland Model

S4

S6

S3

S2

S1

S5

2.3

Mt

-10%

targ

et

MACC – Agricultural Abatement▪ Marginal Abatement Cost Curve for agriculture for 2021-2030 (direct methane and

nitrous oxide abatement). Values are based on linear uptake of measures between the years 2021-2030.

Technical Measures highlighted

2019

Gra

ssla

nd

Ma

na

ge

me

nt

(262

kT

CO

2-e

)

Wa

ter

Ta

ble

Ma

na

ge

me

nt (O

rga

nic

so

ils)

(444

kT

CO

2-e

)

Co

ve

r C

rops

(107

kT

CO

2-e

)

Str

aw

in

corp

ora

tion

(60.5

kT

CO

2-e

)

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

Ab

ate

me

nt C

ost €

/tC

O2e

Potential kTCO2e saving/year

Forestry

(2100 kTCO2-e)

Land-use measure

Energy

20

Farm

ene

rgy s

avin

g2

9.5

ktC

O2-e

Bio

ma

ss (

He

at)

176

ktC

O2-e

SR

C B

iom

ass (

Ele

ctr

icity)

196

ktC

O2-e

An

ae

rob

ic D

ige

stion

224

ktC

O2-e

Bio

me

than

e1

50

ktC

O2-e

Bio

die

sel (O

SR

) 269 k

tCO

2-e

Bio

eth

an

ol (B

ee

t)2

9.8

ktC

O2-e

-400

-300

-200

-100

0

100

200

300

400

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Ab

ate

me

nt C

ost:

€/t

CO

2e

Potential ktCO2e saving/year

Wood biomass

759 ktCO2-e

Ammonia MACC

21

• Total achievable reduction is 22.5 t NH3

• Cost varies from 41-78M per annum depending on how landspreading

measures are implemented

Summary of Key of Measures 2019

GHG

❑ Dairy EBI

❑ Nitrogen Use Efficiency

❑ NBPT Treated Urea

❑ Low Emissions Slurry

❑ Forestry & Woodland

❑ Energy Efficiency

Ammonia

❑ Nitrogen Use Efficiency

❑ Urea Stabilisers

❑ Low Emissions Slurry

22

Sustainable

Fertiliser

Programme

Carbon Navigator 2

❑ Massive Industry Challenge

❑ Mitigate or Cut

❑ Awareness no longer the focus

❑ Too Big to Ignore – 34% of Total emissions

❑ Carbon Navigator 2 – Part of Toolkit

2020

Carbon Navigator 2

❑ Urgency for farmers driven by

❑ Multinational Food Companies → Dairy Co-ops

❑ Government & EU Regulation & Support

❑ National Climate Action Plan

❑ Citizens and NGOs and Press

❑ Threat to reduce numbers

❑ Partnership Approach

24

2020

Carbon Navigator 2

❑ Integrated tool across sustainability challenges

❑ GHG and Ammonia

❑ Water Quality

❑ Biodiversity

❑ Focus on current status of practice adoption on Farms

❑ Broad range of measures from MACC

❑ Target setting

❑ Focus on realistic number of measures

❑ Quantification of Impact

❑ Advice for Implementation

❑ Structured Follow up

25

2020