Carbon farming in Ireland: a blueprint for regenerative agriculture

In The News 06 Feb 2025

Climate KIC, as part of Project Credible, is organising the 2nd European Carbon Farming Summit, due to be held in Dublin, Ireland, from 4 to 6 March 2025. The summit is a partnership with the Government of Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and aims to shift the field from theory to practice.

Ireland is emerging as a leader in agricultural innovation, and especially around the practices that increase carbon sequestration in soil and plants to reduce greenhouse gases – commonly known as carbon farming. The Irish government is currently developing national guiding principles that integrate carbon sequestration with broader environmental benefits, such as biodiversity conservation and water quality improvement. With a strong policy direction and collaboration with Climate KIC through their Deep Demonstration partnership, Ireland is taking serious steps towards implementing a comprehensive and results-driven carbon farming system.

To learn more about Ireland’s challenges, insights, and progress, we sat down with DAFM’s Bernard Harris, Agricultural Inspector, and John Mounsey, Assistant Agricultural Inspector. Our discussion focused on the development of the Irish carbon farming framework, its alignment with EU policies, and expectations for the Carbon Farming Summit in Dublin.

A policy commitment despite political change

Changes in government can often bring about shifts in policy, which affect progress on climate action. But Ireland’s commitment to transforming its agri-food system remains firm. When it comes to carbon farming, policymakers recognise the importance of developing a framework that is both ambitious and achievable – ensuring long-term benefits for farmers and the environment.

Bernard Harris: “Developing the framework has been a core commitment of the government under the Climate Action Plan, and remains a commitment under the recently published Programme for Government.”

More than carbon removals

Although the carbon farming framework is inspired by global best practices, Ireland’s approach goes beyond traditional carbon removals – incorporating emission reductions from soils, fertilisers, livestock, and fossil fuel use.

John Mounsey: “We’re ensuring strong alignment with the European Union’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) regulation, while evaluating the opportunity to broaden the scope to include livestock emission reductions, which may be formally included after July 2026. Our guiding principles are based on the Integrity Council’s core carbon principles – such as transparency, additionality, and monitoring, reporting, and verification – but we’ve also introduced two Ireland-specific principles: ‘just transition’ and ‘learning by doing.’”

Bernard Harris: “The ‘learning by doing’ principle is particularly important. Instead of waiting for a perfect system, we need to start implementing and improving along the way. Our work with Climate KIC has reinforced this approach – emphasising the urgency of action while allowing flexibility for refinement.”

Ensuring a just transition for farmers

With agriculture contributing to 38% of Ireland’s national emissions, the national carbon farming framework is designed to support farmers in their transition towards low-emission, sustainable agricultural practices.

John Mounsey: “A key focus is ensuring that no one is left behind. Ireland’s agricultural landscape is diverse, with a high proportion of family farms and part-time farmers. We must create opportunities that are fair and accessible to all.”

Bernard Harris: “Our approach is holistic, covering dairy, beef, tillage, and mixed farming. We aim to provide a ‘menu of opportunities’ that align with different farm types. With European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the process of commencing negotiation soon, carbon farming can offer a potential new income stream for farmers.”

Ireland’s alignment with the EU

Ireland was an early mover in starting the development of a carbon farming framework, at a time when the EU’s CRCF was still evolving. However, the two approaches have since converged.

Bernard Harris: “Initially, the CRCF’s focus was quite narrow, but all EU member states contributed to the process, it has broadened to consider the inclusion of livestock emission reductions. This aligns well with our approach – integrating both emission reductions and removals into a holistic framework.”

Implementation challenges

For carbon farming to succeed, robust monitoring, reporting, and verification systems must be in place. Ireland already has strong research infrastructure, including Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF), which provide critical agricultural data. However, there are still challenges ahead.

Bernard Harris: “Monitoring, reporting and verification needs to be cost-effective, feasible, and trusted by stakeholders. If monitoring costs are too high, or if the financial return for farmers, landowners or foresters is uncertain, participation will be limited. While we have a strong foundation with existing national data systems, transitioning to a fully operational certification process will require further work.”

Moving from theory to practice?

The upcoming European Carbon Farming Summit in Dublin presents a unique opportunity for Ireland to showcase its leadership in this space and learn from international experiences.

John Mounsey: “The summit is happening at the right time. There’s growing interest from farmers, landowners and foresters in carbon farming, but they need clearer guidance. The summit will bring together policymakers, researchers, and industry players to discuss practical implementation strategies.”

Bernard Harris: “One of our key sessions focuses on how to integrate emissions reductions and removals into a ‘farm balance sheet’. We’re looking forward to engaging with international stakeholders and refining our approach based on shared insights.”

Large-scale pilots and market readiness

The DAFM-Climate KIC partnership hopes to test the principles with farmers as part of its second phase, between now and 2027.

Bernard Harris: “The delivery of a pilot will address key questions: How do we balance accuracy and cost in monitoring, reporting, and verification? Will the market pay for maintenance, biodiversity or just additional carbon removals? Should there be a single national registry or multiple accreditation bodies? These are all crucial considerations before full-scale implementation.”

With strong governmental backing, a clear policy direction, and an emphasis on real-world application, Ireland’s carbon farming framework is poised to become a model for Europe and beyond.

In-person tickets for the 2nd European Carbon Farming Summit are now sold out! To watch online, register here.

REGISTER FOR THE EUROPEAN CARBON FARMING SUMMIT