Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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149. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if targets under Harvest 2020 and Agri Food 2025 are compatible with European Union targets for the reduction of carbon emissions; his estimation of the reduction of the dairy herd in the State to meet those environmental targets; the fines expected to be imposed by the European Union if our dairy herd does not reduce within the specified period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13049/15]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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Are the targets under Harvest 2020 and Agri Food 2025 compatible with European Union targets for the reduction of carbon emissions? What is the Minister's estimation of the reduction of the dairy herd in this State to meet those environmental targets? What fines are expected to be imposed by the European Union if the dairy herd does not reduce within the specified period? I ask the Minister to make a statement on it.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Irish agricultural production is independently and internationally recognised as one of the most climate and resource-efficient systems in the world. Irish dairy production, with Austria, has the lowest carbon-intensity in the EU as per the European Commission Joint Research Centre findings.

The extent of the challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with our EU commitments is understood by Government, as reflected in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015. I am satisfied that Ireland is on course to comply with the annual mitigation targets under the 2009 EU Effort Sharing Decision in the first half of the 2013 to 2020 compliance period. However, there will be a significant compliance challenge in the years 2017 to 2020, which will have to be addressed in the national mitigation plan, currently being prepared.

The approach in the current Effort Sharing Decision, in terms of greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020, treats emissions from agriculture in essentially the same way as emissions from sectors such as transport and does not take into account the limited cost-effective mitigation options available in the sector.

While the 2020 targets remain binding, Ireland has engaged in intensive discussions with the European Commission to highlight the importance of ensuring a coherent approach to the twin challenges of food security and the greatly increased global demand for food with EU climate-change ambition. An important step forward in developing a coherent policy on food security and climate change was taken at the October 2014 European Council.

Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and other Departments are continuing to work together to ensure a whole of Government approach to building upon this and working with the Commission to ensure that EU climate and food policies to 2030 and beyond recognise the reality of these global challenges.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I am sure the Minister read the article in the farming section of today's Irish Independent. An Taisce claims that with a 20% target for reduction in emissions from 2005 to 2020, only 2% has been achieved so far, meaning that 18% is still outstanding. It quotes the Minister, as saying there will be a bigger burden on other sectors in order to meet that reduction target. I ask the Minister to enlighten us in that regard.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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That is a very fair question. Applying a 20% reduction target does not mean that we apply 20% reduction across each sector.

Some sectors have more capacity than others to reduce emissions. It is true that other sectors will have to do more than 20%, because I believe agriculture does not have the capacity to achieve those numbers.

That said, agriculture will play its part, and I am determined that it will. It is already playing its part, but the targets I am setting for agriculture are related to the emissions intensity of what we do. If Ireland is producing milk at the lowest carbon footprint in the world relative to other countries, does it make sense, in terms of a global climate change challenge, for the country that is doing the best job in producing milk at a low emissions intensity to reduce its herd size and produce less to allow other countries, that are producing at a higher emissions intensity, to produce more? The markets are going to demand more anyway. The point we have been making at European level, both throughout the CAP process and since then, is that we must combine the joint challenges of a responsible approach towards climate change in terms of mitigation and adaptation to climate change challenges while at the same time responding to global food security issues.

I hope Ireland will set the global benchmark for how to produce food at a low emissions intensity. We will use science, innovation, breeding and grazing programmes, feed conversion efficiency management and all the other elements we are applying on Irish farms. In addition, we will audit and measure the performance on our farms. Every farming organisation in the country has signed up to all dairy farms in the country having a sustainability audit system on farms. Currently, we are measuring the greenhouse gas emissions from the herds on 48,000 beef farms. Ireland is the only country in the world doing this. Anyone who suggests that I, the Government and Ireland are not taking emissions from the agricultural sector seriously does not understand what we are doing. What I will not do is reduce herd size, when we have a good emissions record, to facilitate blunt targets that only apply to Ireland.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister's reply is very informative and that message must be conveyed to the public. There are organisations that will try to run an agenda, through scaremongering tactics and otherwise, in respect of preventing the potential that can be realised as a result of the abolition of the quota. There is a similar question from Deputy Fitzmaurice but it relates to the beef sector.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Perhaps we should have statements and a debate on this issue, similar to what we held on the dairy sector recently. There is a need for a real debate on the sustainability story of Irish food production. We are exporting nearly 90% of everything we produce and we plan to grow that, so we must be able to prove to our critics, competitors and the clients to whom we sell that this is a story of growth that is also focusing on sustainability. We have a great story to tell in this regard, which is improving year on year.

I have much admiration for organisations such as An Taisce. They are right to raise issues about the climate change challenge we face, along with other environmental challenges relating to water management, protecting biodiversity, protecting special areas of conservation and so forth. However, the idea that one would reduce output to meet national targets when, in fact, one's output is a really good performer in international terms and in terms of the emissions intensity of one's production systems does not make sense. I will not restrict farmers from growing and expanding their businesses if they are doing a good job from a sustainability point of view, and we must win the argument at European level on that basis.