Grass ‘could make millions for farmers’ under scheme

FARMERS may be able to earn millions of euro for growing grass that takes more carbon out of the atmosphere.

Under a Department of Agriculture programme announced yesterday, researchers will test the most efficient way for grassland to capture carbon, which is linked to global warming.

Farmers would still be able to feed their cattle with the grass, which would simply be more efficient than other grass at taking carbon from the air and putting it in the soil.

The department believes that, if successful, farmers could then make money from industries that have high carbon emissions. The EU runs a successful ‘cap and trade’ programme for businesses, which can buy up carbon credits from forestries and other industries that reduce carbon in the atmosphere. The department said the research could help reduce carbon while providing income for farmers. It would also help Ireland greatly reduce its carbon output in time for the introduction of EU penalties in 2020. The programme, worth €600,000, is co-funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is one of 23 research grants announced by Agriculture Minister Michael Creed yesterday that together total €14.3million in funding.

Another project seeks to mimic human taste buds in identifying different types of alcohol.

‘We aim to investigate the capabilities of the proposed method to quickly and accurately “recognise” alcoholic beverages by their origin,