The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) is committing to a new ruminant emissions research facility (RERF) at the organisation’s Hillsborough site in Co. Down.
Its role will be to help indentify at ways of optimising productivity while reducing greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from cattle.
The resource is being advanced by AFBI in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
According to AFBI, the facility will be unique within the UK and Ireland, and one of only a few in Europe.
It has been designed to enhance the organisation’s existing research capabilities and further strengthen its leadership in sustainable and resilient dairy and beef production systems.
The overarching purpose of the facility is to help the farming industry achieve both economic and environmental sustainability while delivering on government policy and supply chain requirements.
To achieve this, it will identify and validate effective and practical mitigation options, under commercial-like conditions, which both reduce methane and ammonia emissions while optimising productivity in dairy and beef systems.
Mitigations may include slurry additives and management practices, flooring systems, dietary strategies, and genetic approaches.
Importantly, the RERF will allow researchers to assess how multiple interventions interact when applied simultaneously.
Research
The research undertaken will support both government and industry by providing independent evidence on the effectiveness of current and emerging technologies and practices.
This work will also guide industry strategies designed to balance productivity with environmental targets.
Findings will inform the national greenhouse gas and ammonia inventories and contribute to evidence-based policy, helping ensure that Northern Ireland’s agricultural mitigation actions are accurately represented.
For example, a priority for the facility is the determination of an emission factor (EF) for slatted flooring in Northern Ireland as the national ammonia inventory does not have an EF specific for slatted flooring.
The lack of an EF for slatted flooring is perceived by stakeholders as placing Northern Ireland at a disadvantage and not accurately reflecting local practices.
Emissions targets
Excess nutrients from ruminant systems, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, along with ammonia and methane, represent losses and inefficiency within livestock systems, according to AFBI.
As such, they result in an economic and environment cost where savings could be made.
Furthermore, government policy and supply chain demands both require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and ammonia.
AFBI noted that Northern Ireland “must achieve significant reductions in these emissions to meet regulatory targets”, including at least a 20% cut in ammonia emissions by 2030 from current levels and a considerable reduction in agricultural greenhouse gases by 2050.
A procurement process for construction of the new facility is currently underway.
Subject to a successful outcome, construction is expected to begin later this year, with completion anticipated by early summer 2027. Initial trials are expected to commence in 2028.
