In recent years, there has been substantial investment into researching various methods of reducing methane emissions from Irish Agriculture. Due to methanes high GWP (Global Warming Potential), reductions in methane are part of Irish emission mitigation strategies. As seen below, there are several studies undertaken recently, to examine the effectiveness of measurement techniques for measuring methane emissions from sheep. The SF6 technique is seen in operation on sheep. These are somewhat novel approaches to quantifying emissions from livetstock.
Organisations such as Teagasc are making huge progress in scaling out these technological methods of measurement to Irish farmers. The Portable Accumulation Chambers are pictured below measuring methane emissions from sheep on a commercial farm. This is a major milestone for Irish methane reduction efforts, as I feel that rolling out of modern technologies to farms should be prioritised in order to reach emission reduction targets.
The video below explains some of the ongoing work in Teagasc, which is focused on measuring methane emissions in sheep production systems. It is very interesting to see the new technologies which are currently available for measuring methane. I believe these types of studies will offer valuable insights for Irish farmers into how some sheep breeds emit greater amounts of methane than others. Livestock genetics is becoming increasingly important for farmers, to optimise livestock performance while also being mindful of emission outputs. Studies like these can showcase the best sheep breeds for reduced methane emissions.
References:
Edel O’ Connor1,2, Nóirín McHugh 1, Tommy Boland 2, Eoin Dunne 1, Fiona McGovern.1 1 Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway.2 School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.