Adopting Ammonia Abatement: Thematic Insights into Farmers’ Perceptions and Policy 1 Challenges in Irish Agriculture

Recently, several EU countries, including the Republic of Ireland, have struggled to meet legally binding commitments to reduce agricultural ammonia emissions. Some farmers readily embrace abatement measures, whereas others reject them. Research exploring technology rejection decisions is rare; however, understanding why some farmers reject recommended farming practices holds critical information for tailoring government support schemes and reducing pro-19 innovation biases. This study builds on Technology Acceptance Model, data collected from focus group discussions with dairy and beef cattle farmers across eight key farming regions and inductive thematic analysis. Three main themes, six subthemes and 26 codes were defined. Perceived costs of bovine farming methods include affordability, compatibility, usability, availability, and sufficient information which may lead farmers to reject adoption. Participants were frustrated with societal pressure for reducing emissions on farms and lack recognition for environmental services of grasslands, food production for humans and progress achieved towards environmental sustainability. Policy issues relating to slurry closing date and support schemes were identified. It is recommended to support small farms for adopting abatement technologies and to develop methods suitable to land and soil properties as well as local weather.