Mr. Martin Keane:

I thank the committee for this opportunity to share with it the views of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, ICOS, on the issue of climate change with particular reference to agriculture. In the first instance, it is important to recognise that there are three pillars of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. All three are interwoven and without equal emphasis on each pillar we will not have sustainable employment, sustainable communities or sustainable natural resources. The foundation of the agriculture industry is the family farm model, and together with co-operative ownership, it fundamentally underlines our sustainability credentials. The dairy sector and the broader agrifood sector are facing unprecedented challenges. These include: extreme market volatility; CAP reform and how it will be funded, because the continuation of a well-funded CAP is essential; the availability of skilled labour; and the consequences of Brexit. In addition, environmental sustainability is a key strategic challenge for the industry. At dairy processing level, we have made significant investments in green technologies, state of the art processing equipment and lean manufacturing to drive energy efficiencies. The dairy sector was an early adaptor of combined heat and power and it is committed to continuous improvements in energy usage, water usage and waste management.

On 24 January, ICOS published a report on climate change following work undertaken by a working group, including personnel from the environment and farm services teams in dairy processing co-operatives. The ICOS report entitled Positive Steps Towards a Low Carbon Future for the Irish Dairy Sector forms the basis of our submission to this committee and looks at actions and recommendations for dairy farmers and the wider industry supporting farmers. I apologise if there is any overlap with previous speakers but as we are 99.99% the same gene pool there is bound to be some.

Our core recommendation is that the effective and widespread sharing of solutions that generate efficiencies at farm level and benefits to the environment is the biggest challenge to be addressed. There are a range of technical and cost-effective mitigation options that ICOS believes should be incorporated into a structured knowledge sharing programme on climate change mitigation. These include: measures around grassland management; the inclusion of clover in swards; manure management; nutrient management planning; improved EBI; sexed semen; reducing the age at first calving; nutrition; animal health and energy efficiency on farms.

The report also points out that the farming community can positively address the issue of climate change with appropriate support. For example, individual farmers and groups of farmers working through co-operatives can further mitigate against climate change through the uptake of agro-forestry using native trees and renewable energy technologies such as biogas from anaerobic digestion and solar panels on farm buildings. Ultimately, agriculture systems throughout the world will have to provide extra food to feed a growing population, which is expected to exceed 11 billion by the end of this century. We must produce more food, while conserving available land, water and energy resources. For this reason, the recommendation of the Citizens’ Assembly in November 2017 to impose a carbon tax on Irish agriculture is deeply flawed. This proposal, if implemented, would damage the competitiveness of Irish agrifood exports and benefit the environment little. In reality, it would be counterproductive and there would be a possibility of carbon leakage. Furthermore, the continuation of a well-resourced and strong CAP budget post 2020, which supports active farmers is absolutely essential. Expenditure cuts to the CAP budget will have a detrimental impact on the ability of the agricultural sector to adopt climate change mitigation measures.

It is important to acknowledge that the European Commission’s joint research centre has independently assessed Irish dairy as the most carbon efficient in Europe, with our beef sector also performing way above the EU average. Furthermore, the sustainable dairy assurance scheme, SDAS, has enabled Ireland to position itself as a partner of choice globally for sustainably produced and quality assured milk and dairy products. Our co-ops have invested significant resources in making SDAS a real success. Farmers, too, have recognised that as an industry we are only as strong as our weakest link and understand the strong emphasis international customers are placing on sustainability and quality assurance. The inclusion of the carbon navigator tool makes SDAS unique. It provides the average carbon figure for production on the farm and also indicates where the greatest potential saving can be made in both carbon emissions but also very importantly in financial savings. In doing so, it has mainstreamed the message that carbon efficiency goes hand in hand with economic efficiency.

Dairy co-ops have also developed several joint programmes with Teagasc to provide technical support and advice for farmers in order to enable them to develop their farm businesses sustainably and profitably. The recent establishment of Dairy Sustainability Ireland and the sustainability support and advisory programme to address water quality challenges is a further demonstration of our commitment to achieving environmental sustainability.

The dairy sector exports to a multiple of Ireland's national population a highly nutritious food source recognised as the most carbon efficient in Europe. This is because Ireland's temperate climate is perfect for growing grass, with a long grazing season. This enables superior animal welfare conditions on Irish farms. Globally, 80% of milk is produced in confinement-based production systems in contrast to Ireland where cows are on grass for up to 300 days a year.

Ours is an industry that strives for excellence across a range of parameters, be it milk quality, grassland management, breeding or sustainability. We can play our part in addressing climate change by continuing to improve on what we do well. We recognise that the dairy industry has a responsibility to develop in the post-quota era in a manner that protects the environment. As an industry, we fully adhere to the principles of sustainable intensification.

With those few introductory remarks, I look forward to the discussion.