Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
843. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current adoption rate of LESS technology; the additional abatement impact of increasing the use of LESS technology to 90%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15903/22]
View answerThe Deputy raises an important issue in the context of transitioning to a more long term sustainable platform for Irish agriculture. Low Emissions Slurry Technology (LESS) refers to trailing hose and band spreader slurry application technologies. The main objective for using this technology is to reduce emissions of ammonia to enable compliance with our limits under the National Emissions Ceiling Directive. In addition, the use of LESS enables better recovery of nitrogen from our organic manures thus reducing our dependence on chemical nitrogen.
The uptake of the technology has been growing in recent years, from 5% of total slurry applied by LESS in 2018, to 16% in 2019 and 36% in 2020. These figures are taken from the Teagasc National Farm survey. The objective is to achieve a 90% uptake rate by 2027, and based on current trends, we are on track to meet this ambitious target. My Department will continue to financially support farmers to transition to the technology through the provision of grant aid for LESS machines.
By achieving an uptake rate of 90%, starting from a base of 0% LESS usage, approximately 12,000 tonnes of ammonia will be abated, making a significant contribution to the achievement of our targets under the National Emissions Ceiling Directive.
