“We must be able to measure carbon accurately.” That’s according to director of Teagasc, Prof. Frank O’Mara who addressed the Teagasc Counting Carbon: Science and Practice Conference in Ashtown, Dublin yesterday (Thursday, June 20).
Leading experts got together to explore innovative approaches to carbon farming. The conference aimed to bridge the gap between theory and application in carbon counting, and delve into both the science and practice behind this aspect of sustainable agriculture.
Prof. O’Mara continued: “We are presenting the latest research in terms of measuring and counting carbon.
“Particularly in soils, but also measuring the carbon in trees and hedgerows and other above ground carbon stores.”
Carbon farming conference
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue gave the opening address to the conference where he highlighted that the pastoral and arable-based systems of farming in Ireland have demonstrated their sustainability.
He said that the agriculture and the land use sector can contribute significantly to meeting the targeted reduction in emissions.,
The minister pointed out that the Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) has provided farmers and policy makers with a range of measures to reduce emissions.
He said that Ireland has been at the forefront in developing schemes that are aligned with farming carbon principals and he is committed to the development of this policy area.
Christian Holzleitner, head of unit responsible for land economy and carbon removals at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action also addressed the conference.
He said that the one big objective is to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. He emphasised the need to reduce emissions and get better at taking carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it in soils and forests.
He also outlined their latest plans around an EU Carbon Farming Framework and Certification process.
Dr. Giulia Bondi, researcher at the Teagasc Climate Research Centre, delivered a paper on farming carbon – concepts and challenges.
She spoke about the important role soils play in storing carbon, pointing out that in Ireland the majority of the carbon stored in soils is in our peat soils.
Meanwhile, head of the Teagasc Climate Research Centre, Dr. Karl Richards said: “Carbon farming offers the potential for financial reward for actions to reduce emissions and enhance sinks.
“The detail of any new scheme and the pricing of carbon in the future will strongly influence farmer interest.”