Agriculture Minister Todd McClay and Ireland’s Minister of State Noel Grealish have signed a joint ministerial statement in Wellington to push ahead with their partnership on agricultural climate research, agreeing to a second phase of their Joint Research Initiative. No new funding figure was announced for the next phase.

McClay said the goal is to keep developing tools that give farmers options to cut agricultural greenhouse gas emissions without reducing production. Grealish, who visited several of the 11 projects funded under the current programme during his trip, said the work to date has accelerated understanding of emissions in pasture-based systems.

The Joint Research Initiative launched in 2022 with $34.5 million jointly invested to build climate research and science capability. Officials from the Ministry for Primary Industries and Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will now identify further projects to progress.

Separately, the ministers launched the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan for the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases. The plan sets four priorities: advancing scientific research; strengthening capacity and knowledge sharing; building collaboration and partnerships; and leveraging financial and other resources. The Alliance brings together researchers working across cropping, livestock and paddy rice systems to develop ways to reduce emissions.

Both countries say the aim is to lower emissions in pasture-based farming while supporting farmers to maintain and grow production.