Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
503. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Ireland-New Zealand Joint Research Mechanism pilot research initiative; the progress that has been made to date on the four projects funded under the initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30803/23]
View answerInternational research collaboration is important in developing solutions to achieve greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from agriculture and is a critical element of my Departments research funding programme.
The establishment of the Joint Research Mechanism in May 2022, governing the collaboration between my Department and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) New Zealand, facilitates research partnerships to address both countries shared climate challenges and contribute to evidence-based solutions to mitigate the impact of pasture-based, ruminant livestock systems on climate change.
In this spirit, the first competitive research call under the Joint Research Mechanism was launched last year, and this resulted in four successful projects being awarded funding of €3.6million from my Department, with a total of €7.1million awarded when the contribution of the New Zealand MPI is included.
The projects are in key areas including rumen microbiology for reducing GHG emissions, monitoring and emission reduction technologies, and inventory improvement. Currently, the projects are at an early stage of progress with the focus on laying the foundations for the upcoming experimental work and analysis, with further information to be submitted to my Department by the end of September as part of the required six month progress report.
Building further on the 2022 Call, a new Joint Research Call between my Department and the MPI was announced in May this year, which will see an additional investment of over €3million by my Department for research that includes breeding and feed additives, as well as new areas related to organic agricultural soils and agri-digitalisation in support of climate action.
Taken together, the progress under the Joint Research Mechanism over the last 14-months demonstrates significant cooperation and commitment between both countries to develop new insights and technologies to mitigate agriculture's impact on climate change.
