Kilkenny farms join Guinness Regenerative Agriculture pilot scheme

A pilot project to test regenerative agriculture techniques is underway on Irish farms.
Announced last February, Guinness is working with Irish farmers, suppliers and agronomists, on the three-year regenerative agriculture pilot, which is an approach to farming that works in harmony with the natural environment.

The aim of the pilot is to trial and test regenerative agriculture techniques for Irish conditions.
In Ireland, 42 farms are participating in the first phase of the pilot, which represents approximately 1,400 acres of land in six counties including Kilkenny, Kildare, Laois, Carlow, Tipperary and Wexford.
More than seven tonnes of cover crop seed were planted across July, August and September. Cover crops are mixtures of biodiverse teams of beneficial plants that are grown in the gap between harvesting one crop and planting another. Their purpose is to protect and improve soil health by recycling nutrients.

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Based in Laois, Eugene Ryan, one of the farmers involved in the pilot commented: “The 2022 season included unprecedented and extremely challenging growing conditions for Irish farmers, with crops experiencing extremes of temperature and moisture stress. I’m pleased to have the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with other farmers as we embark on this journey together as part of the pilot to test and trial regenerative agriculture methods for the conditions in Ireland”.

A digital management system coupled with remote sensing monitoring is being used to help co-ordinate field operations such as soil testing, yield monitoring and cover crop assessment on participating farms.
The next key project milestone currently underway is the establishment of baseline measurements for soil, crop and farm performance including the carbon footprint of the crop produced. Soils will also be analysed for major nutrients, pH level, soil health and carbon dynamics. This data will help to monitor changes in soil health and inform decisions including fertiliser selection and application.

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Vanessa Maire, Global Head of Regenerative Agriculture, Diageo commented: “This pilot is the first such programme being implemented by Diageo. The learnings and outcomes will help inform other potential opportunities, not just in Ireland, but further afield. We are looking forward to reviewing the baseline data, which will help identify opportunities for reducing the carbon emissions of barley production in Ireland, in line with Food Vision 2030 and the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021”.