Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will deal with the land use and the agricultural issues first. We have the best carbon footprint for milk production anywhere in the EU. There are less carbon emissions from dairy production in Ireland than in anywhere else in the EU. We are equal to one other member state. With regard to beef, we are the fifth-best in the EU and are working towards becoming not only EU leaders but world leaders in this. Only last month, I had a detailed bilateral discussion with my colleague from New Zealand on this very issue. We can have beef produced in other parts of the world in a far less efficient manner that is transported either on the hoof or in carcass form, or we can actually produce it quite efficiently here in Ireland. Can agriculture help in regard to the fight against climate change? Yes, it can. What we want to see is a situation in which our food production in this country is carbon neutral. By working through the forestry sector, through better land use, through better management of agricultural slurries and so forth, and through more efficient rearing of animals that makes agricultural production itself far more efficient and profitable in returns to the farmer, we can reduce emissions.

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