Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) research has highlighted the role that livestock production plays within a circular economy.
Approximately 60% of a ruminant animal’s output is destined for food production.
“The remainder is utilised in a number of industrial processes,” AFBI director, Prof. Elizabeth Magowan said.
She made the comments while recently addressing members of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland.
The AFBI academic confirmed that a balance must be struck within agriculture where four core issues are concerned – food output, driving down the carbon footprint of the sector, enhancing water quality and reducing ammonia emissions.
Impact of livestock production
The impact of phosphate on water quality has long been recognised. Addressing this issue will require interventions from an animal feed, fertiliser and slurry perspective, the Agri Guild was told.
“The scope to further reduce phosphate levels in animal rations in is extremely limited. This is certainly the case where pig rations are concerned,” Magowan continued.
“In the case of ruminant production systems, there is some scope to tweak phosphate levels in concentrate feeds on an almost real time basis.”
But making this happen would require farmers to have their silages analysed in a corresponding manner.
AFBI research work has confirmed that separation can reduce the amounts of phosphate that are eventually spread on to land.
“Centrifugation can act to remove significantly greater amounts of phosphate from slurry,” Magowan added.
“However, this is quite an expensive process.”
Meanwhile, ammonia emissions from livestock production systems remain a very significant threat to areas featuring sensitive habitats across Northern Ireland.
These include bogs, heath lands dune systems and grassland with a high conservation value.
One possible way forward in tackling this issue is that of acidifying slurry, thereby reducing the potential for ammonia to escape.
Ongoing AFBI trial work is seeking to identify the impact of such pH reductions on soil quality after treated slurries have been spread on to land.
AFBI
Finding ways of reducing methane emissions within ruminant production systems remains a priority for AFBI research teams. A number of relevant trials are ongoing.
The use of methane inhibitors continues to be investigated. However, more broadly, it has been identified that a greater focus of crop production will serve to reduce the carbon footprint of agriculture as a whole.
Planting more trees on farms, a principle that can be extended to the development of bespoke agro forestry systems will have the same effect.
AFBI analysis has confirmed that by using all the climate change interventions available at the present time, it is possible to reduce the carbon footprint of an 8,000L spring-calving dairy herd by 31%.
