The Agricultural Science Association (ASA) has said that the government’s “lack of direction”, along with a plan based on scientific facts, is leading to “uncertainty” for Ireland’s €14.5 billion food exports sector.
The ASA stated that estimates show Ireland faces a potential loss of between 750,000 to 1 million hectares of food producing farmland in the next 20 to 25 years due to an “array of new directives and policies”.
New policies require more land for various purposes, leaving less land area available to produce food, according to the ASA.
The association stated that the following recent policy decisions have highlighted the increasing demand for land:
- Nitrate directive adjustments;
- Reaching anaerobic digestion targets;
- Rewetting projects on state and private farm land;
- In order to reach 18% forestry cover as outlined in climate goals;
- Switch to solar for a source of income;
- The expansion of organic farming, may lead to lower productivity.
ASA president Niamh Bambrick said: “We need to ask where is the joined up thinking and scientific baseline of which these decisions are being based upon when it comes to the next 20 years of food production here?”.
ASA
“It needs to be noted that farmers are very much on a journey to improve the environmental credentials of agriculture by making many changes that are proven scientifically to reduce our emissions, but we must help not hinder them in this process,” Bambrick added.
The ASA president called for a “cohesive strategy” that balances environmental goals with the need to sustain food production capacity.
The upcoming ASA conference on Thursday, September 5 in the Lyrath Hotel will be themed ‘trading with the global consumer’.
The theme will focus on agricultural exports and global consumer connections, along with looking to challenge policy makers to develop solutions to ensure Ireland’s agricultural sector adapts effectively to these changes.