Council asked to support anaerobic digestion uptake

“The Government, as usual are failing farmers,” claimed Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly who demanded that government do more to incentivise anaerobic digestion across Ireland.

The locally elected member highlighted the waste recycling method in a contribution at the council’s October monthly meeting.

Cllr O’Reilly described the 2020s as a “crucial decade”, while stating that Cavan-Monaghan had an “abundance of livestock and the availability of manures” which makes the region “an ideal location” for such processes.

She pointed out that there are currently around 19,000 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants operational in Europe, 103 in Northern Ireland, 232 in Germany, 131 in France, and 80 in the UK. Ireland, though, has less than 10 such facilities.

While accepting that AD requires a “high capital cost” and that the “payback” is determined by the price received for the renewable electricity produced, Cllr O’Reilly pointed out that for first time in 12 months an energy company had introduced a Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) offering 13cent/kwh.

“This alone is not attractive enough to support AD in the Republic of Ireland,” she continued, but added that with mounting pressure on the agriculture sector, which accounts for 33% of Ireland’s carbon emissions, AD could become a major factor in helping aid decarbonisation and diversification of farm income streams.

“There are no concrete plans for its use in Ireland. The question of 'why we are so far behind?' must be asked,” Cllr O’Reilly stated.

The reluctance of farmers to “buy-in” to such enterprises, as Cllr O’Reilly sees it, is the lack of financial return.

“Carbon off-set for roof top solar on farm buildings, wind turbines on farm land and ADs are not credited to the agriculture sector, it is credited to the energy sector so there is no incentive for farmers there at all,” she grumbled.

Cllr O'Reilly further argued the need to reclassify “digestate” from a waste product to an organic product.

“Farmers need to be rewarded for their efforts in offsetting their emissions fairly. Why would any farmer invest in these technologies when they will see no rewards or reductions in emissions targets?” concluded Cllr O’Reilly.

Her motion was supported by Sinn Féin’s Paddy McDonald, who suggested if AD was “good enough to be used in the six counties” then certainly it should be adopted south of the border.

“It's the right way to go,” he suggested.

Fine Gael’s TP O’Reilly agreed that the “payback isn’t there” right now for Irish farmers.

Cathaoirleach John Paul Feeley (FF) also supported the motion, but he too admitted the debate wasn’t “straightforward”.

Carmel Brady (Fine Gael) meanwhile explained how the Cootehill Area Development Committee had commissioned their own case study to see how an AD might be developed in the local area, for the benefit of the wider community.

Director of Services Paddy Connaughton said he was aware of the efforts being made in Cootehill. But he stated simply that the funding model for AD “doesn’t stack up at the moment”.

The common consensus was that biogas was best identified option, and discussions had taken place with Gas Networks Ireland on the subject.

Councillors last year received a presentation from energy consultants, Fingleton White, regarding an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) feasibility study then underway in the Cavan-Monaghan region. The study was being carried out on behalf of Gas Networks Ireland, as well as the industrial stakeholders with the aim to identify the potential for energy generation, decarbonisation and waste recycling in the region.