IFA says Irish biomethane strategy not enough to meet climate goals

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) on May 28 expressed concerns that the government’s biomethane strategy will not be sufficient to develop the sector to the scale needed to meet the Climate Action Plan 2024 targets.

“The government has a target of producing 5.7 TWh of biomethane through the construction of 200 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants by 2030. If the government is serious about this, it will require much more funding than €40mn ($43.2mn),” said IFA President Francie Gorman. “There are also other logistical issues that need to be ironed out, including the classification of by-products such as digestate.”

The IFA made a detailed submission during the consultation process. “Overall, there is certainly potential to develop an indigenous AD industry in Ireland, but the discussion needs to be much more inclusive of farmers or there is a real danger that AD will become the preserve of big business,” Gorman added.

IFA Farm business chair Bill O’Keeffe emphasised that the biomethane strategy needs to be farmer-led to succeed.

The National Biomethane Strategy was unveiled on May 28 by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.

The strategy outlines policy and regulatory measures and provides a roadmap to develop a scalable biomethane industry in Ireland. It focuses on a framework of five interlinking pillars critical for achieving the target: sustainability, demand for biomethane, bioeconomy and the circular economy, economics of biomethane, and enabling policy requirements.