The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) has said its ‘Carbon Challenge’ conference will “provide clarity” for dairy farmers on how to manage carbon.
The event will take place from 10:00a.m to 3:30p.m on Thursday, February 29, at CAFRE’s Greenmount campus, Co. Antrim.
Senior dairying adviser, Alan Agnew, said reducing emissions and meeting government 2050 net zero targets will require all dairy farmers to adapt their production systems and adopt new technologies over the coming years.
“There is a lot of mis-information around the topic which causes confusion and apprehension among farmers.
“Hopefully this conference will provide clarity on many issues, and allow farmers to make better informed decisions in responding to the challenge,” the advisor said.
Net zero and carbon footprint
The morning session of the event will include an overview of the topic and a summary of the net zero regulations and government policy.
Speakers from the supply chain will then put farm emissions into the context of the carbon footprint of dairy products.
CAFRE said dairy farmers will get insight into what is being done to reduce the carbon footprint of feedstuffs and the importance of carbon benchmarking for the industry.
The role of farm carbon efficiency and wider environmental issues in funding options and bank lending will also be covered.
Mitigating emissions
The afternoon session will focus on practical measures and changes to farming activity that can be implemented on dairy farms to mitigate emissions and meet the ‘Carbon Challenge’.
CAFRE said greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are bringing about global warming, and the resulting climate change is becoming “increasingly evident in the weather we experience”.
“Fortunately, agriculture can also sequester carbon, locking it up in trees, hedges and soils, so farmers also have an important role in managing carbon stocks, and are a vital part of the solution to the climate crisis,” Agnew said.
“It is also important to note that the role of agriculture is still recognised as being primarily food production – but with the need for it to have a lower carbon footprint.”
Dairy farmers can book their place for the conference online via the CAFRE website.
Tickets cost £15 to cover lunch and CAFRE recommends early booking as places for the event are limited.
