Duration:
Temporary externally funded non Grant-in-Aid contract post, the indicative duration of which is 24 months, subject to contract. A panel may be formed from which future similar vacancies may be filled; such a panel will remain active for a maximum period of 12 months.
Basic Function:
The successful candidate will be responsible for simulating the potential availability of forage surplus and slurry for anaerobic digestion (AD) across representative dairy and beef farming systems in Ireland. The resulting outputs will provide key data for evaluating opportunities to integrate AD into Irish livestock production systems. The role will involve further development of the MoSt GG model to improve its ability to simulate grass, grass–white clover, and grass–red clover swards. In addition, the successful candidate will extend the Pasture-Based Herd Dynamic Model (PBHDM) to simulate beef farming systems alongside its existing dairy farm functionality.
The successful candidate will create and deliver a comprehensive national dataset of forage balances and slurry production across a range of Irish livestock farming systems, providing spatially and temporally explicit data to support farm- and regional-scale assessments of AD potential.
Background:
The position will be based at the Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork. Teagasc Moorepark is Ireland’s leading dairy research institute with national responsibility for all aspects of dairy production research which include grassland and grazing management, dairy cow breeding and reproduction, dairy cow health and welfare, milk composition and dairy cow nutrition, milking technology and milk production systems plus economic analysis. The research programme is conducted by over 30 scientific and technical professionals, supported by administrative and operative staff. Moorepark operates a total of 7 individual dairy research farms totalling 500 hectares and over 1,000 dairy cows.
Ireland has ambitious targets to reduce agricultural emissions by 25% and to expand anaerobic digestion (AD) to meet 10% of current national gas demand by 2030. This includes the development of both farm-level and grid-scale AD plants. However, several knowledge gaps exist relating to the optimal supply of farm sourced forage and slurry/manure to provide secure and sustainable AD feedstocks in line with Renewable Energy Directive (RED) sustainability criteria.
Grass-BÓ will address knowledge gaps in relation to the seasonal, regional and farm-specific dynamics feedstocks for the AD sector including livestock slurry and grass-silage. The project will also explore whether adding legumes and diverse plant mixes to grasslands can boost the amount and quality of material available for renewable gas production. This project will provide a more detailed understanding of how much farm-based feedstock is truly available across different regions in the country throughout the year; along with how digestate (a by-product of AD) can be reused on farms in an environmentally friendly way. By filling these knowledge gaps, this project will create decision-making tools to help farmers and policymakers plan for the rollout of AD more effectively. Ultimately, it will support the growth of renewable energy in Ireland, reduce agricultural emissions, and strengthen Ireland’s leadership in sustainable energy research.
