Dáil debates

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed)

 

3:40 pm

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As part of the annual transition statements on climate change and low-carbon development, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the role of agriculture in meeting and playing its part in the transition. It is important to note the starting point of agriculture in the transition. We are efficient in how we produce food and, globally, our food is recognised to be of a very high quality. It is one of the key drivers of exports, with the agrifood sector employing 250,000 people. As a nation, we are an outlier in terms of the contribution of agriculture to emissions compared to other countries. Given the fact that agriculture is such a big part of the economy, it contributes 30% of our overall emissions versus 20% for transport and energy.

The farming community is aware that agriculture needs to contribute to meeting the transition targets and is very much up for doing so. As the Minister outlined, many schemes have been promoted in recent years, notably under the rural development programme, with the objective of contributing to reducing our carbon footprint, meeting climate change objectives and improving biodiversity. It will be critical in the years ahead that we hold our starting position as a green producer of food, that we continue to be a world leader in food production and that we contribute through agriculture to meeting climate change objectives and arresting the decline in biodiversity that we have seen in recent decades. The next Common Agricultural Policy will be particularly important in that regard. The Minister referred to the recent publication by the EU of the biodiversity and farm-to-fork strategies, which are pointing the way. While we must ensure impact assessments are done on how the strategies will impact on farming, they set the direction of European policy, of which Ireland will be part.

While farmers are up for increasing sustainability from both an environmental and a biodiversity point of view, we must also ensure that our approach is sustainable from an income and employment point of view. Farmers will be expected to do more and they are up for doing more. However, we must ensure they are rewarded for the extra effort they will make in the years ahead.

Fianna Fáil will play its part, working with the Oireachtas and the farming community, in leading the way in terms of the sustainability of agriculture from an environmental and income point of view.

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