The Signpost Advisory Programme was launched by Teagasc in the Wicklow/Carlow/Wexford Advisory Region, yesterday 22 June, at the Orchard Centre in Tinahely, County Wicklow. The launch was attended by a cross-section of representatives from the farming and agri-business community in the three counties. This new advisory programme will complement existing advisory services and programmes already being provided to farmers in the region. The programme is designed to support and enable farmers to farm more sustainably with an emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their individual farms, thus contributing to the overall national effort by the agricultural and food sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030.
The programme will be an extension to the existing Signpost (Farmers for Climate Action) Demonstration Farm Programme that has established a network of more than 120 demonstration farms around the country, including 8 in the Wicklow/Carlow/Wexford advisory region, in collaboration with 65 Industry Partners. The Signpost Advisory Programme will add significantly to this programme by providing individual farmers greater access to support and tools to help them to adopt the appropriate practices and technologies on their farms that will impact on the emissions from their farm.
This is a free advisory service and available to all farmers across all enterprises. The overall aim of the programme is to give all farmers the confidence to adopt new and existing technologies and production systems that will allow them to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining and improving farm profitability. The programme will utilise an exciting new sustainability digital platform, called AgNav), which is being developed collaboratively by Teagasc, ICBF and Bord Bia. This new AgNav platform will allow farmers to “Know My Number” by calculating and assessing the sources of emissions on their individual farms. The AgNav platform will also provide a way of comparing the impacts of different technology and farm practice options on reducing these emissions and for a farm to “Make My Plan” by selecting actions that can be implemented on the farm in the future that will reduce emissions.
Speaking at the launch, Teagasc Regional Advisory Manager, Ger Shortle highlighted, “It’s great that we have two experienced Signpost Advisors working in collaboration with our industry partners across the region to achieve our climate goals. Good management will be the foundation of every plan and, with the advisors’ help, farmers can make a plan that suits their farm, cutting both emissions and costs.”
At the launch dairy farmer Shay Ryan, who farms near New Ross, and John Pringle, a beef farmer from Aughrim explained the benefits of adopting new practices that are positive for climate and farm sustainability. They shared their experiences of getting involved in the programme. Shay Ryan pointed out that “You can’t change what you don’t measure and working out my carbon emissions figure with my advisor was key to making progress”. John Pringle added, “Having engaged with the Signpost Advisory Programme I now know the most important steps that I can take to reduce my carbon footprint and play my part in the whole sector achieving its target to reduce emissions by 25% by 2030”.
Two Signpost advisors have been appointed in the Teagasc Wicklow / Carlow / Wexford Advisory region to directly support this new programme. Both bring a wealth of experience to their new roles.
Colm Doran is from Monamolin, County Wexford, with a dairy and beef farming background. He graduated from University College Dublin in 2013 and completed a masters in horticultural education through the Teagasc Walsh Scholarship programme in 2015. He later taught at Kildalton Agricultural College in 2015-2016 and prior to his appointment as a Signpost advisor worked as a dairy advisor in Gorey, County Wexford since 2017.
Eoin Woulfe is originally from County Limerick and graduated from University College Dublin with Degree in Agricultural Science in 1996. Eoin began his career with Teagasc in 1998 as a REPS advisor based in Scariff , County Clare and has worked as a Dairy advisor in Dungarvan and Baltinglass, and as a Drystock advisor in Enniscorthy, Gorey and Tinahely. In 2020, he then took up a Drystock advisor role in Oak Park, County Carlow before taking up the Signpost role.
Both advisors are available to work with farmers across the region and stress the importance of getting signed up for the programme as the first step. To sign up for the Signpost Advisory Programme click on: https://www.teagasc.ie/environment/climate-action/signpost-advisory-programme/expression-of-interest/ or contact to your local Teagasc advisor or advisory office.
