The new climate bill – an “agri and rural bashing bill” – will “kill the economy while doing nothing to protect the environment”, according to the Rural Independent Group of TDs.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 21), the rural independents say they will “stand up for rural Ireland and family farms” when the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill comes before the Dáil.
The group says the “flawed bill” will cause “immeasurable damage to Irish agriculture, cause food security issues, lead to thousands of direct and indirect job losses across rural Ireland and create enormous and costly volumes of red tape”.
Climate bill implications
Speaking at a press conference today (Tuesday), the leader of the Rural Independent Group, deputy Mattie McGrath said:
“This bill will be highly destructive to every facet of the Irish economy, including the agri-food sector, which alone employs 164,400 people.
“This bill aims to cut carbon emissions by 51% by 2030 and meet net zero emissions by 2050 but makes no exception for the agri-food sector.”
The TDs are concerned that as a result, the national herd may face a significant “cull” by 2030 – and such reductions, described as a “crushing and counteractive move”, will “destroy the family farm”.
“For instance, the Mercosur trade deal will allow 99,000t of beef per year coming into the EU, from countries like Brazil. Research by Oxford University highlights that this would, in fact, be more environmentally destructive than home-grown beef, thus underlining the stupidity of the government approach,” Tipperary TD McGrath continued.
“It is truly astonishing that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would agree to such drastic proposals, which will see our meat coming from the opposite end of the world instead of local farms.”
‘Measures are making no sense’
The deputy also said he is concerned about the burden that increases to the carbon tax will have “on every man, woman and child”.
“In addition to the tax, it means higher living costs, mainly delivered through increases in fuel prices and the knock-on implications for consumer goods, such as food and necessities,” deputy McGrath added.
“This measure comes from the same government that advocates for the country moving to electric cars soon, while on the other hand, they shut down electricity power plants and other energy sources.
“These measures are making absolutely no sense and will result in severe financial consequences for every household, family, farm and small business owner in the years ahead.”
‘And by rural Ireland, I mean everything outside Dublin’
Deputy McGrath said that the Rural Independent Group will combat these proposals “at every turn – we will stand up for rural communities and family farms; and we will not be swayed by the government spin and empty platitudes”.
“We will challenge the government, submit amendments and rigorously scrutinise and debate every line of this bill to protect the interests of every rural family and community,” he added.
Speaking to Agriland today, deputy McGrath added: “and by rural Ireland, I mean everything outside Dublin”.
“We’ve already paid a fortune on carbon tax for example, and the promises were to get it back reinvested – it is not happening. The investment in rail, bus lanes, everything – it’s in Dublin but nothing in the country,” he said.
“All the rural dwellers want to play their part in mitigating the effects of climate change. But we can’t be penalised like this – we don’t have the services.
“There’s not thought put into the long-term effect on our economy,” he added, also referring to the “turbulent” time being experienced by many due to the Covid-19 pandemic and bank closures.
Prior to the Dáil Easter recess, the Rural Independent TDs moved a private members motion on Project Ireland 2040.
This will be debated next week, and deputy McGrath added that between the 2040 plan and the climate bill, “we might as well close the gates of rural Ireland”.