Mr. Ian Lumley:

I thank Deputy Leddin for his welcome focus on the climate action plan, particularly as it relates to agriculture. It is the obvious interest of this committee. Both the An Taisce and the coalition submissions outline very clear recommendations on fair share on all sectors, including agriculture, and equally a just transition. We have already seen how the just transition action support has been advanced in the Bord na Móna case. Bord na Móna was initially proposing to drag out peat cutting until 2030. That was subject to major criticism from all the coalition organisations in Ireland and it would also have subjected Ireland to much international reputational damage. Bord na Móna has now taken a very dramatic new policy direction and sent a very clear statement we are moving from brown to green. The example set by Bord na Móna should now be followed by the agricultural sector and that is entirely incompatible with the current continued dairy intensification model. This model is based on carbon offsetting projections on grassland, forestry and hedgerows that simply do not stand up to scientific scrutiny.

As we move into the second half of the coming decade, under the international emissions system we will have to account for land use change and forestry, LULUCF. It means we must face up to addressing land drainage, soil erosion and clear-fell forestry, which causes carbon soil losses, and peat extraction must be accounted for. I also find it very odd that people now saying it is outrageous that Ireland is now importing peat have no concern whatever that we have been devastating the bogs of our midlands as we do not even have accurate figures but much of the peat extracted has been exported.

The answer is put forward at the end of the coalition submission. We must face up to reality and delusional greenwashing rather than thinking there is a magic solution to evaporate methane. The Environmental Protection Agency is a Government agency and has expert knowledge and research capabilities. The agency is linked with the international research network and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change carbon accounting system. It follows that methodology, so when the EPA publishes data it must be taken seriously. It is why we put it at the very top of our submission.

There is reputational risk for the agrifood sector in Ireland, which very much relies on this green image. We and the likes of Teagasc have criticised the greenwashing associated with the marketing of Irish agriculture compared with the reality. The EPA director has said that any plans for further intensification or expansion of the dairy herd would be difficult to sustain. Instead of looking at this as a negative, let us come up with a positive and address the risks of the dairy herd expansion, including stranded assets, whether at farm level or in plant investments. Let us consider diversification to produce the range of food we are capable of producing in Irish soil and climate conditions. We did this in the past and we are now importing them unsustainably. Despite its huge agricultural and export sector, Ireland has very poor food security. For multiple reasons, and not just climate concerns, air pollution and ammonia, we should act. We must do it for diversity reasons and to reduce dependence on a single sector subject to global price volatility.

Animal disease risks have also been indicated in the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, SWOT, analysis for the CAP process. There is a danger in investing all our food production in a single animal-dependent sector. What happens if anything goes wrong with that? That is an issue not just for the animal sector and other countries face major crop risks both with climate change and from new pests and diseases. This is a global test and Covid-19 is part of that, with a disease passing from the animal to the human population as we interact more with the natural environment. The answer is diversification and restoration of the natural environment.

It is positive that we should be doing all these things anyway. There is a well-known cartoon where people say it would be great if we could have a cleaner environment, better air quality etc. but we should be doing this anyway. Let us start thinking that way and of the multiple benefits of a country that would have a stronger and more diversified rural economy and which can go back to some of its traditions in the sort of food and crops produced in the past and that are suitable for our soil conditions. We should embrace the growing trend for organics and the supports that will clearly be provided under the European Green Deal for that, not just through CAP but through other means. Let us look at a positive future we can play a part in advancing.

We need meaningful dialogue but that has not been happening and we are very disappointed about that. It is one of the key messages we are trying to communicate in the coalition document. We need constructive dialogue, which is best achieved by sitting around a table where there are no media or audiences and where we can speak frankly between ourselves. That is what we would like to see happening.