93 research outputs found
Modelling the Marginal Abatement Cost of Mitigating Nitrogen Loss from Agricultural Land
working paperWith the deadline identified by the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)
approaching in 2015 there is increasing pressure on policymakers to introduce new
regulations to achieve water quality targets. Agriculture is one of the contributors of
diffuse pollution entering watercourses and will come under pressure to reduce pollutant
loads. This paper produces Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC) Curves for eight policy
measures that could potentially reduce nitrate leaching from agricultural land on Irish
dairy farms. These include: 1) reduction of fertiliser application by 10%; 2) reduction
of fertiliser application by 20%; 3) livestock unit reduction to limit organic N to 170 kg
ha-1; 4) reduction of livestock units by 20%; 5) change of feed mix to reduce cow
dietary N intake; 6) fencing off watercourses to introduce a buffer zone; 7) improved
dairy cow genetic merit by introducing higher performing dairy breeds; 8) more
efficient slurry application. Results from this study indicate that there will be reductions
in farm gross margins across nearly all policy measures. However, MAC and the
ranking of MAC vary across individual farms and aggregate MAC does not reflect the
heterogeneity of impacts across individual farms. This paper shows that any measure
introduced in a âone size fits all command-controlâ fashion will not yield efficient
economic results
Recreational Pursuits on Marginal Farm Land: A Discrete-Choice Model of Irish Farm Commonage Recreation
In the last decade the demand for rural recreation has increased in Ireland as the population has become increasingly urbanised. Increased affluence, mobility and changing values have also brought new demands with respect to landscape, conservation, heritage and recreation, with a greater emphasis on consumption demands for goods and services in rural areas. This paperâs contribution to the understanding of outdoor recreational pursuits in Ireland is based on the estimation of the first farmland recreation demand function. We use this empirical work to investigate the more general conflict between countryside recreational pursuits and farming activity. Through the estimation of a travel cost model, the study derives the mean willingness to pay of the average outdoors enthusiast using a farm commonage site in Co. Galway, Ireland and an estimate of the gross economic value of the site as a recreational resource. The result indicates the high value of Irish farmland from a recreational amenity perspective.
Farm-gate N and P balances and use efficiencies across specialist dairy farms in the Republic Ireland
working paperThis study establishes farm gate N and P balances and use efficiencies based on the
average of 2 years of Teagasc National Farm Survey data in 2009 and 2010. The
weighted average farm gate N surplus for this nationally representative sample of
specialist dairy farms was 143.4 kg N ha-1. Average farm gate nitrogen use efficiency
was 23.2%. For dairy farms operating under an EU Nitrates Derogation, the average
N surplus was higher at 181.8 kg N ha-1 and averageN use efficiency was slightly
lower at 22.2%. The total average farm gate P balance was 4.1 kg ha-1 in surplus, and
P use efficiency averaged 83.9%. P balance ranged from -7.3 to 23.0 kg ha-1. A total
of 27% had a negative P balance. The average P surplus for farms with a Nitrates
Derogation was below the average of all farms at 3.5 kg P ha-1 and average P use
efficiency for these Derogation farms was above the average of all farms at 90%
Willingness to Pay For Achieving Good Status Across Rivers in the Republic of Ireland
peer-reviewedThe Water Framework Directive mandates EU Member States to achieve good status across all surface waters. Derogations from this have to be proven based on infeasibility or disproportionate cost. This study explores public preference for water quality objectives and assesses willingness to pay (WTP) for achieving good status across all rivers in the Republic of Ireland using contingent valuation. Mean WTP for achieving full good status across rivers was estimated at âŹ19 per respondent per annum. WTP was influenced by social class, subjective perceptions relating to household financial status, education, recreational use, environmental values and river basin district
Developing the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network to derive indicators around the sustainable use of nitrogen and phosphorus at farm level.
peer-reviewedThis study uses a national farm survey which is part of the European Union (EU) Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) to develop environmental sustainability indicators in the use of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) across a range of farm systems in the Republic of Ireland. Farm level micro data were used to calculate all inputs and outputs of N and P that cross the farm gate and to derive balances (kg ha-1) and overall use efficiencies across 827 farms in 2012. The sample is populated weighted to represents 71,480 farms nationally. Results indicated an average N balance of 71.0 kg ha-1 and use efficiency of 36.7% across the nationally representative sample. Nitrogen balances were between two and four times higher across specialist dairy farms compared to livestock rearing and specialist tillage systems. Nitrogen use efficiency was generally lowest across milk producing systems compared to livestock rearing and tillage systems. Phosphorus balance and use efficiency averaged 4.7 kg ha-1 and 79.6% respectively across the sample. Specialist tillage and dairying farms had higher average P balances compared to other livestock based systems. The approach developed in this analysis will form the benchmark for temporal analysis across these indicators for future nutrient balance and efficiency trends and could assist other members of the EU FADN to develop similar nationally representative indicators.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin
Public access to the countryside: An exploration of the costs and benefits of farmland walking trails
To date, estimates of individualsâ willingness to pay (WTP) for access to the
countryside have typically been on sites of special interest such as developed walking
routes, public rights of way in specific areas, national parks and forests (see
Lockwood and Tracy, 1995; Bennett and Tranter, 1997; Crabtree and MacDonald,
1997; Liston-Heyes and Heyes, 1999; Garrod et al., 1998; Bennett et al., 2003;
Buckley et al., 2009; Morris et al., 2009). There has been little if any attempt to
derive estimates of individualsâ WTP for the provision of walking trails in the wider
countryside at a national level. The present study aims to build on previous work by
examining the demand for particular types of walking trails through a nationally
representative survey of the Irish population. One further advantage of this research is that apart from valuing walking activities in
a generic sense this paper investigates what types of investment in facilities associated
with walking trails generate the greatest welfare gains. Furthermore, using a
nationally representative survey of the farming population this paper examines
farmersâ willingness to participate in a hypothetical walking scheme whereby the
general public will be allowed access to specific trails. First by way of background
this paper will discuss the situation in relation to access rights to the countryside
across a number of countries. Second this paper will outline the research approach
which is followed with a discussion of the empirical results. Finally this paper will
conclude with a discussion of the papers main findings and their implications for the
provision of public access to the countryside.This work was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under the Stimulus Funding
AgriBenchmark: Benchmarking Sustainable Nutrient Management on Irish Farms
AgriBenchmark explored the possibilities for
benchmarking of nutrient management performance
on Irish farms. Teagasc National Farm Survey
(NFS) data (2008â2015; 1446 farms) were used to
characterise and explore the potential for improvement
of farm nutrient management performance and
resultant aspects of environmental and economic
sustainability through the derivation of three key
performance indicators (KPIs) at the farm-gate level:
farm nutrient balance (kghaâ1), nutrient use efficiency
(NUE; %) and profitability (gross margin; âŹhaâ1). In
this report, the farm nutrient balance is defined as the
farm-gate nutrient imports (fertiliser, feed, animals,
etc.) minus the exports (animals, crops, wool and
milk). A positive balance (surplus) is considered to
represent a nutrient source pressure in terms of the
risk of nutrient losses to the wider environment. The
data and analyses in this report cover the main, more
intensive agricultural systems in Ireland (excluding
pig and poultry farms) and are representative of, on
average, 61% of farms nationally and 76% of the total
utilised agriculture area (UAA; excluding commonage)
Sustainability levels in Irish dairy farming: a farm typology according to sustainable performance indicators
Feeding the worldâs population in a sustainable manner is one of the key challenges facing the future of global agriculture. The recent removal of the milk quota regime in the European Union has prompted an expansionary phase in dairy farming, especially in Ireland. Achieving this expansion in a sustainable manner is crucial to the long-term survival and success of the Irish dairy sector. In this paper we examine the sustainability of Irish dairy farming, defining âsustainabilityâ as economically profitable, environmentally friendly and socially efficient. A typology of Irish dairy farms has been created using data on profitability, environmental efficiency and social integration derived from the Teagasc National Farm Survey. Economic, social and environmental performance indicators were determined and aggregated and then used in a multivariate analysis for the identification and classification of farm clusters. The purpose of this study to classify Irish dairy farms using performance indicators, thereby, assisting policy makers in identifying patterns in farm performance with a view to formulating more targeted policies. Two of the three clusters elicited from the analysis were similar in regards to their respective indicator scores. However, the remaining cluster was found to perform poorly in comparison. The results indicate a clear distinction between âgoodâ and âweakâ performers, and the positive relationship between the economic, environmental and social performance of Irish dairy farms is evident
Developing farm-level sustainability indicators for Ireland using the Teagasc National Farm Survey
peer-reviewedIn the context of an expanding, export-dependent agri-food sector, indicators of sustainable development and intensification are necessary to measure, assess and verify the comparative advantage afforded by Irelandâs natural pastoral-based food production systems. Such indicators are also necessary to ensure that we produce more food with less adverse impacts on the Irish environment, climate and society. This article outlines the development of farm-level indicators that refect the multifaceted nature of sustainability, which is encompassed in economic, environmental and social indicators. The role of innovation in farm sustainability was also examined. A comparison of indicators across Irish farm systems showed that dairy farms, followed by tillage farms, tended to be the most economically and socially sustainable farm systems. In relation to greenhouse gas emissions in particular, the top-performing dairy farms, in an economic sense, also tended to be the best-performing farms from an environmental sustainability perspective. This trend was also evident in relation to the adoption of innovative practices on farm, which was found to be strongly correlated with economic performance
Assessing the importance of soil testing in fertilizer use intensity: a tobit analysis of P fertilizer demand by dairy farmers in Ireland
Phosphorus (P) is considered the second most important nutrient for grass growth following nitrogen (N) and it is applied on grasslands mainly through chemical fertilizers. Irrational use of chemical fertilizers, however, lead to severe and often irreversible environmental degradation, which has, consecutively, an impact on the overall sustainability of the world. Farmers are responsible for the amount of P fertilization on their farm, and despite the efforts to design policies to assist them with precise chemical fertilizer use, chemical P use is still high, particularly on pasture fields where grass needs to be constantly maintained. . In Ireland, where agriculture is majorly pasture based, soil testing is highly recommended, as part of the Irish rural development plans, in order to encourage efficient nutrient management. This study uses an econometric model on data from the Irish national farm survey to examine the examines the relation between soil testing and chemical P fertilization in Irish pasture based farm systems. Results indicate the soil-testing leads to the use lower amounts of chemical fertilizers, which is also correlated with landscape characteristics and farm intensity, indicating the need for targeted management approaches to farm level management decision making
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