Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree up to a point. However, that does not mean agriculture does not need to pull its weight. We need to get better, year on year, every year, in terms of the emissions intensity of our production systems. That is why we are measuring and auditing, and we will be widening those audits to include water, more efficient feeding systems, better grazing programmes, better breeding programmes and so on. The more sustainable we are generally in terms of the emissions intensity of our production systems, the more profitable we are too, and there is a direct correlation between efficiency and profitability on beef farms, dairy farms, poultry units, pig units, sheep farms and so on.

We are moving agriculture into a space that is prioritising sustainability. However, we cannot allow people to make the case that there is an easy answer to all of this, which is to simply reduce our herd size. The detrimental impact that would have on rural society is something I will not tolerate. Instead, we will solve this problem through innovation and through better ways of doing things, which is what I believe we have a responsibility to give leadership on.

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