Mr. Paul Kelly:

The Irish agrifood industry supports the development of climate policy that supports the objective of sustainable development and economic recovery and contributes to the alleviation of hunger and undernourishment. Our industry is committed to a process of continual improvement in sustainability and efficiencies so that increased production is achieved with reduced environmental impact. This commitment is embedded in the industry’s development strategy, Food Harvest 2020, prepared by the industry and the Government, which sets out an ambitious growth target for Ireland’s food industry based on the principles of smart green growth.

The agrifood industry broadly welcomes the outline heads of the climate action and low-carbon development Bill. It is our hope that in a collective approach to the development of a low-carbon strategy for growth, Ireland’s agrifood industry can become part of the solution to achieving sustainable growth in the world’s most carbon-efficient food-producing country.

Sustainable agricultural production is about ensuring man’s production of food does not result in undesirable consequences but allows for the continual production of food in harmony with nature. Agricultural systems can, therefore, be managed to ensure the least impact on the environment while producing increasing volumes of sustainable food.

While some suggest that the route to a low-carbon economy can best be achieved through the limitation of agricultural production, the reality of a rapidly growing global population means a growing global demand for food. This food can be produced from sustainable agricultural systems or unsustainable production systems. In short, carbon cannot be engineered out of cows. The largest portion of non-ETS emissions from Ireland’s agrifood industry is composed of emissions from enteric fermentation, namely cow digestion. This is a natural process that cannot be engineered out. Accordingly, animal numbers will continue to be the primary driver of emissions from Irish agriculture.

Irish farming is efficient, however. The greenhouse gas, GHG, efficiency - that is, the unit product per unit GHG emitted - of Irish agriculture is really high, especially compared to the developing world, due to intensive pasture management and the relatively high-yielding animals to be found here. This undeniable conflict between sustainable agricultural practices and accounting practices poses a very real challenge to policymakers. However, global and EU institutions are now considering this dilemma as they face the challenge of feeding a growing population from more sustainable food-producing regions. Accordingly, it is not inconceivable that a differing approach to dealing with global agricultural emissions will be developed as part of the 2030 and 2050 strategies.

The proposal for sectoral roadmaps to be developed as part of Ireland’s climate action and low-carbon development Bill is, therefore, appropriate and consistent with the global policy developments. This will allow for the alignment of the Food Harvest 2020 strategy for smart green growth with a national strategy for carbon reduction. This logical alignment will ensure sustainable agriculture will become the central pillar for Ireland’s agricultural growth, underpinned by independent farm sustainability audits that identify where improvements can be achieved.