Dr. Eamon Haughey:

The Chair has raised one of the report's key findings. Interestingly, the authors looked at the food system as a whole, including both the demand and the supply side. Previously a lot of efficiency work took place on the production side, which is very efficient here in Ireland. There was less work on the demand side. The message from the IPCC was very clearly and carefully worded. It suggests moving towards a plant-based diet, but its suggestions include animal products produced with low levels of greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable and resilient systems. The report definitely does not state that one should not eat meat. The IPCC provides advice. It does not tell people or governments what to do. There is certainly a place for meat consumption. However if one was to change one's diet to reduce its carbon footprint, reducing consumption of animal-sourced protein would have the biggest effect. That is what the report found.

If we continue to consume meat, the best thing we can do is ensure it comes from a system with a low greenhouse gas footprint such as a grassland-based system. Systems with low external inputs tend to be the most efficient. Our grazing system is efficient because the animals are at pasture for most of the year. Inputs from external sources, such as protein, are low in comparison with systems where the feed is grown somewhere else and then brought to the animals indoors. In that regard we are in a good position but there is no doubt that if dietary change is to make a contribution globally, consumption of animal-sourced foods must decrease. This is difficult for Ireland but we are in a good starting position.