AQW 8271/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 06/10/2020
Answered On Date: 21/10/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to (i) increase investment in research and development to improve the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion process; and (ii) to encourage the building and operation of anaerobic digestion plants.

Answer:

(i) The Department is currently funding three research and development projects considering the nutrient efficient use of Anaerobic Digestate (AD). These projects are being undertaken by researchers at the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and include work to determine the impact that various chemical, biological and physical treatments have in mitigating nutrient losses from digestate. Previously, the Department has funded AFBI research on the management; production economics; and environmental impact of co-digesting dairy cow slurry with grass silage and other feedstock, and the economically viable and sustainable uses of digestate from anaerobic digestion.

(ii) There are currently approximately 80 AD plants in operation across Northern Ireland, of which about 60 are on-farm. However, due to the end of issuing of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) in 2017, and without some form of economic support, due to the high capital expenditure associated with plant construction, there is unlikely to be further on-farm development of new AD plants.

A range of other factors also constrain the uptake of AD plants on farms in Northern Ireland. These include the space required for the digester and storage tanks, the time and expertise required to manage the AD process, a suitable grid connection for the export of electricity, the economic returns and farmers’ willingness and ability to add to their existing farming operation.

Therefore, at present my Department is not currently encouraging the building of AD plants. The advice the Department is providing on the subject of AD is around the compliance with the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) 2019 – 2022 requirements on spreading of digestate, which aim to reduce environmental impacts.