As part of this new partnership with Climate KIC, a European climate innovation agency, the farms will trial new technologies, such as treatment for improving manure management and satellite technology to map biodiversity, expanding the research underway as part of Farm Zero C.  

A transition with farmer wellbeing at its core

Funded by the Systemic Climate Action Collaborative, a pioneering coalition advancing climate action and systemic transformation, this flagship initiative is part of the broader Deep Demonstration of sustainable food systems, a partnership established in 2022 between Climate KIC and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to embed climate mitigation and resilience actions in the Irish land and agri-food sector.

“Farmers are on the frontlines of the climate transition, but so too are their livelihoods and wellbeing,” said Stewart Gee, Deep Demonstration programme lead at Climate KIC. “This initiative focuses not just on emission cuts, but also on social resilience, farmer wellbeing, economic security, and local action. The aim is to create clear, realistic, and long-term action plans for farms of all types to transition, without leaving anyone behind.”

Tackling methane through farmer-led solutions

“We’ve seen firsthand through Farm Zero C and through the outcomes of our FutureProof sustainability bonus (where farmers are paid a premium to implement certain sustainability initiatives on their farms), that cutting emissions and maintaining profitability can go hand in hand,” said Enda Buckley, Director of Sustainability for Carbery. “This project allows us to bring these practical solutions to more farmers, faster.”

Methane from enteric fermentation and manure management accounts for over two-thirds of Ireland’s agricultural emissions, and almost 20% of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.

The initiative will prioritise ‘ready now’ innovations, to reduce methane emissions rapidly while retaining profitability. These technologies will be selected by Carbery and the relevant farmers and will include Glasport Bio’s Slurry Abate system. 

John O’Donoghue, one of the farmers participating in this trial, said: “We have been seeing what works on one farm, as part of Farm Zero C. This project is about taking what has been tested on one farm, and bringing it to more of them. We will see then what works practically and what will actually make a difference to the average farmer.”

Innovative finance and farmer-centric business models

Carbery’s Farm Zero C and Climate KIC’s Deep Demonstration programmes are also looking at funding models and financial support to make methane-reduction technologies more affordable for farmers. Finance innovator and not-for-profit Bankers without Boundaries will assist through this new initiative in exploring financial mechanisms like carbon payments, green loans, and cooperative incentive schemes. Additional efforts by Community Arts Network and Metabolic will explore how common perceptions in local communities can support the scale-up of these technologies.

Timeframe

The first year will focus on trialling technologies, building collaboration with the first 10 farmers, collecting baseline data, and developing viable financial and narrative models. In year two, these insights will be scaled, and a second farmer cohort onboarded.

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