A Dublin-based TD has criticised the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for promoting the exports of Irish beef amid a “horrendous biodiversity crisis”.
People Before Profit TD for Dublin South-West, Paul Murphy said that agriculture, particularly big agri-business, is the “driving factor” behind Ireland’s biodiversity crisis.
The recent trade mission to Korea, a major focus of which was to gain access for Irish beef exports, goes against Ireland’s commitment under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming, he said.
Deputy Murphy claimed that the DAFM is not on top of the worsening biodiversity crisis and that by looking for a new market in South Korea, beef production is set to rise.
Beef exports
The value and importance of food production in Ireland is “significant” in terms of about 8-10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), chief inspector at the DAFM, Bill Callanan said.
A similar quantity of people is working in the sector, which has a significant value in the rural economy, he told a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action.
In response to Deputy Murphy, Callanan said: “I not sure where that more beef is coming from, the national herd has been stable since 2017 in fact it has actually reduced last year.
“I think this is around creating additional value in terms of our product by maximising the value of that in what is a global food system.
“Rather than a suggestion that ‘look it is a continuous increase in output’ – that is not actually happening,” the chief inspector at the DAFM told the committee.
Agriculture has many merits in Ireland, in terms of grass-based rain-fed production which is climate and environmentally positive compared to a lot of other countries, he added.
Biodiversity
Earlier this year the final report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Biodiversity Loss identified 33 actions as being the responsibility of the DAFM to help tackle the crisis.
Defending farmers’ efforts, Callanan said 25% of basic payment is now paid for eco schemes in terms of recognising what farmers are doing on their farms in terms of space for nature.
Of the 33 actions, 11 are considered implemented and 17 are in progress of being implemented. All other recommendations fall under the remit of other departments, he said.
The citizens’ assembly’s recommendation that people must be encouraged to consume a more plant-based diet, for example, is a matter for the Department of Health, Callanan said.
The DAFM is delivering on the recommendations through a range of programmes, including European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) and the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), he said.
This direction of travel in terms of sustainability is going to continue, he said, with 46,000 farmers in ACRES tranche 1 and one million hectares to be scored this year.