Mr. Ian Lumley:

I thank the Chairman and committee members for facilitating this presentation.

Action is needed at a global level in all sectors; it is needed in transport and energy as much as in agriculture. Irish agricultural emissions are rising by nearly 3% a year. Dairy cow numbers are increasing by 6%. The increase in emissions in 2016 was 2.7%. Not only does this have a climate impact, it also has the effect of warming oceans, causing ocean acidification which affects marine life. The United Nations environmental programme is telling us that the world needs to move to a more plant based diet. It stated, "A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products". At the same time, Ireland is embarking on a beef and dairy industry expansion which contradicts the national policy position on climate change. It has been misleadingly justified on the basis that capacity for sustainable food production should be the approach rather than a business as usual model for expansion.

A number of very problematic arguments are being used to justify the expansion of the beef and dairy industry. The first is that Ireland is contributing to global food production in terms of beef and dairy exports. What this is mainly doing is exporting a western beef and dairy diet which is not meeting the needs of the world's poorest and most hungry. It is a middle class diet export. There is an argument that if Ireland was not increasing production, somebody else would. This highlights the reality of the need for global action. There is an argument that Ireland produces beef and dairy more efficiently. Efficiency measures that have been gained are marginal and being undermined by increased production. A 2017 EU report stated Irish agriculture was the least climate efficient in Europe in terms of output. There is also the argument that Ireland is accommodating a global market demand, but this demand has been created deliberately by trade deals and promotions. The promotion of infant formula is controversial and problematic and icontrary to the World Health Organization's advice on promoting breast-feeding.

Arguments have been made that Irish emissions can somehow be offset against grassland management, forestry and bio-energy, but the technical reports available show that the capacity is very limited. There are arguments that what Ireland is doing in grassland management and beef and dairy agriculture is best suited to the Irish climate, but there is inadequate research on the alternatives. It should be a general principle that we reach a genuinely sustainable food production matrix to enhance food security and biodiversity, reduce climate impact and support the promotion of a more plant-based diet. There is a major opportunity to do this in the current CAP reform negotiations. In Ireland, this should mean that we move towards the production of nutritionally diverse plant-based food crops that are climate resilient, compatible with soil conditions in the environment and sustain employment and rural communities.