'Significant investment' needed to achieve climate targets - farm org (2025)

Good progress is “being made” on emission reduction targets but “significant Investment” is needed to achieve government climate targets, the Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA) environment chair, John Murphy, has warned.

Murphy today (Friday, April 25) pointed to the recently published Climate Action Plan 2025, which shows that agricultural emissions decreased by 4.6% in 2023, compared to 2022.

According to the IFA, this is the single year decrease from the sector under the Climate Action Plan.

Murphy believes that the emissions reduction is primarily driven by farmers changing practices, which has resulted in an 18% reduction in inorganic nitrogen purchased by farmers, as well as an increasing use of lower emission fertilisers.

He also claims that farmers have already achieved the reducing inorganic nitrogen 2025 interim target of 330,000 tonnes, with 310,411 tonnes of inorganic nitrogen sold in 2024.

Murphy added: “Other interim targets that are progressing well are the increased use of protected urea and organic farming adoption. There was a 39% increase in protected urea sales in 2024 compared with 2023.

“While the total organic area increased to 220,000ha in 2024, representing 5% of all utilisable agriculture, and close to the 2025 target of 250,000ha.”

“Although good progress is being made, the total reduction from the 2018 baseline to 2023 is provisionally 2.9%, making the achievement of the 2030 target of a 25% reduction a significant challenge,” he added.

The environment chair also claimed, that given the emissions reduction potential of earlier finishing of beef cattle, it was disappointing to see the age at slaughter increase in 2023, reversing the previously improving trend.

However, Murphy noted that “the very poor weather pattern was, in large part, the cause of this reversal”.

Climate Action Plan

The IFA environment chair also noted the action plan’s development to reduce the age of slaughter.

He said: “It is vital given the importance of the measure to reduce emissions and the economic concerns of farmers that they are involved in the development of the plan from the get-go.

“This is too important a measure not to have proper farmer engagement and input.”

Murphy said other planned actions for 2025 are to explore measures to encourage the use of protected urea and to continue research on greenhouse gas (GHG) reducing feed additives and ingredients.

The plan also referenced options and issues relating to the use of approved feed additives and ingredients, particularly around cost and widespread adoption.

“With regards to the increased use of protected urea, there were a lot of application and quality issues on farms last year, the benefits of the product are not in dispute, but the issues experienced at farm level need to be resolved as a matter of urgency if the usage of protected urea is to continue to increase,” Murphy added.

“This is a government and industry issue that needs to be rectified if targets are to be met.”

The chair also voiced “serious concerns” about achieving the proposed diversification targets for biomethane and forestry within the 2030 timeframe.

“I cannot see the afforestation targets being achieved unless the Carbon Farming Framework can provide additional funding that derisks the investment.

“Furthermore, a proper well-funded support scheme for biomethane production must be introduced urgently if biogas production is to be a viable option in Ireland.”

According to Murphy, farmers would “strongly oppose” any attempt by government to rely or re-purpose CAP funding to deliver climate measures.

“New funding streams such as the €3.15bn Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund is needed to support the measures set out in the Climate Action Plan, not raiding the CAP fund we have today,” Murphy added