The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has welcomed the ‘reasonable tone’ of the Climate Change Advisory Council’s Annual Review, but has argued for more supports to be put in place for farmers.
Responding to the publication of the review, released yesterday, Wednesday, July 24, ICMSA president, Pat McCormack, argued that farmers “are – and increasingly would be seen as – an indispensable part of the solution to the issue”.
He highlighted the need for a ‘Just Transition’ to a sustainable model of agriculture and food production, and called on the Government to “fully support and underwrite the development of real renewable options that would make critical contributions to our climate change commitments”.
The Government’s previous efforts on renewables has fallen short and has, in some cases, left farmers who had invested in equipment ‘high and dry’ when incentives and schemes were discontinued.
“That cannot happen again…farmers understand the extent of the challenge that they must help in meeting, but I wonder whether other links in the food supply-chain, or indeed the consumers, understand fully that the changes envisaged will – and certainly should – mean higher food prices,” McCormack pointed out.
He argued that it would be up to the Government to “drive and incentivise” the policies that would let farmers play their part.
This meant, according to McCormack, the Government actively supporting farmers, rather than “standing back while issuing targets, deadlines and penalties”.
That also has to mean a minimum of consistency so that we’re not talking about cutting back on our beef production – among the most environmentally sustainable on the planet – while agreeing to a Mercosur agreement to import beef from South America.
He concluded by arguing that the “systematic” clearing of forests that is taking place in South America amounted to a “global catastrophe”.