NI agriculture and land carbon

Farming emitted — CO2e in 2024, — on 1990, while NI as a whole has cut emissions by almost a third. Livestock methane alone is — of all NI methane. Output per animal has become much cleaner (milk carbon intensity is down —), but herd size and fertiliser use decide the total.

Agriculture emissions, 2024

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MtCO2e, by source

Change since 1990

—

NI total fell about 29% over the same period

Livestock methane, 2024

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Enteric fermentation and manure, MtCO2e

Share of NI methane

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Livestock methane over all NI methane, 2024

Soils nitrous oxide change

—

1990 to 2024; fertiliser and manure on land

Milk carbon intensity change

—

g CO2e per kg milk, 1990 to 2021

Where farm emissions come from: then and now

Sources, 1990 against 2024

ktCO2e, latest inventory edition. Change is 2024 against 1990.

Source	Gas	1990	2024	Change	Share 2024

Agriculture emissions by reporting period

Latest year, three prior years, then three-year averages back to 1990 (MtCO2e). Latest highlighted.

Fertiliser and soils

Soils nitrous oxide by reporting period

From manufactured fertiliser, manure and slurry spreading, grazing returns and crop residues (MtCO2e).

Fertiliser signals now

Latest official indicators.

Indicator	Value

Emissions from manufactured fertiliser rose in 2024, and farmers bought a fifth more fertiliser in 2025 as prices eased.

Nutrient balance: how much nitrogen and phosphorus stays on the land

Nitrogen surplus, 2024

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kg N per hectare left in soils (3-year average)

Nitrogen surplus change since 1991

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Almost unchanged

Nitrogen use efficiency

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Share of N inputs leaving in produce, 2024

Phosphorus surplus change since 1991

—

kg P per hectare surplus

Nitrogen surplus, every third year

kg N per hectare, inputs (fertiliser, feed, manure, fixation, deposition) minus outputs in crops and livestock products. Latest highlighted.

Then and now, per hectare

kg per hectare, 3-year averages ending 1991 and 2024.

Measure	1991	2024	Change

DAERA's balance counts all nitrogen and phosphorus inputs together and does not split out manufactured fertiliser, so it cannot by itself size Scope 3 fertiliser manufacture. Output per hectare is up two-thirds while the surplus is flat: farms are using nitrogen better, but the pressure on soils and water has not fallen. The jump in inputs in 2024 is worth watching.

Methane from livestock

Livestock methane by reporting period

Enteric fermentation plus manure management (MtCO2e).

Animals then and now

Head of livestock, 1995 (nearest available to 1990) and June 2025.

Livestock	1995	2025	Change

Cattle numbers are roughly flat since the mid-1990s, but the herd has shifted towards dairy, and dairy cows emit more methane per head. Sheep are down by a third, while pigs and poultry are up. The rise in pigs and poultry matters more for ammonia and manure than for methane.

F-gases and other high-GWP gases

NI F-gases by gas, 1995 and 2024

ktCO2e. 1995 is the F-gas base year. HFCs dominate.

Gas	1995	2024	Change

Where F-gases are used

ktCO2e by inventory sector. Farm refrigeration (milk cooling, cold stores) sits inside these lines; it is not reported separately.

Sector	1995	2024	Change

The two direct high-GWP gases from farming are methane and nitrous oxide, shown above. Fluorinated gases are a small share of NI emissions and are now falling. The EU F-gas Regulation (EU) 2024/573 applies in NI under the Windsor Framework, so farm refrigeration and heat-pump choices should move to low-GWP refrigerants now.

Agriculture Scopes 1, 2 and 3: then and now

ktCO2e for all NI farming, 1990 → 2024. Scope 1 uses the inventory; Scope 2 is indicative for 2024; Scope 3 is not yet quantified.

Scope 3 · upstream

What farms buy in

Manufactured fertiliser (imported)not yet quantified

Imported feed (soya, maize, grain)not yet quantified

Machinery, plastics, medicinesnot yet quantified

Scope 1 · on the farm

Direct emissions

Livestock methane and manure N2O— → —

Soils N2O, liming and urea— → —

Fuel, machinery, heating— → —

Scope 1 total— → —

Scope 2 · purchased energy

Electricity and heat bought in

2024, indicativeabout —

1990not published

Land · reported separately (LULUCF)

Farmed and wider land

Peatland (source)— → —

Grassland soils (sink)— → —

Cropland soils (source)— → —

Forestry (sink)— → —

Scope 3 · downstream

After the farm gate

Processing (dairies, meat plants)processors' Scope 1 and 2

Cold chain and transportnot yet quantified

Retail, consumption, food wastenot yet quantified

Scope 2 is end-user agriculture (31.4% of 18.5 Mt) minus by-source agriculture. Because both inputs are published rounded, treat it as about 0.05 Mt, give or take the same again. For a single farm the same diagram is filled from its bills, fertiliser and feed invoices and herd records, which is exactly the carbon inventory you sell.

Land: peatland, grassland and forestry

ktCO2e; negative values are removals. Peatland is the largest single land source.

Land use	1990	2024	Change

Measures to cut emissions and store carbon

Measure	Targets	How it works	Evidence and scale	NI delivery route

Active research and programmes

Fields soil-tested

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Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, by June 2026

New woodland vs target

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Hectares created by end 2025 against 9,000 ha by 2030

Peatland to restore by 2050

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Hectares; 4,500 ha now on the road to recovery

Programme	Lead	Area	What it does	Status

Sources: NI GHG inventory 1990–2024 (DAERA/NISRA, data updated 11 Aug 2026) and statistical bulletin (9 Jun 2026); NI Carbon Intensity Indicators 2024; DAERA June Agricultural Census 2025, Agricultural Incomes 2025 and Soil Nutrient Balances 1991–2024; Irish Almanac via CAIN (1995 livestock); AFBI; DAERA Peatland Strategy Delivery Plan; Agriland; Farmers Weekly; ABC Council; Irish Farmers Journal. Each figure’s source is listed under Data and sources below.

Data and sources

Every figure above is worked out in your browser from the tables below, which are fixed copies of official releases. Download any table as CSV to check or reuse it, crediting the original source.