Jack Bobo, director of global food and water policy with The Nature Conservancy and CEO of the of food foresight company Futurity, believes that ongoing debates focused on reducing of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within agriculture must be truly international in nature.
He delivered the 10th Michael Dillon Memorial Lecture, as a guest of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland last Friday (April 8).
Bobo said: “Decisions taken to cut food production levels at a national level simply give other countries the opportunity to make up the shortfall in output.
“But these other producing regions may have an even larger carbon footprint than many of the countries they are actually exporting food to.”
Bobo, who was a former advisor to Hillary Clinton, made it very clear that efficiency of production should be the ‘key factor’ when it comes to deciding where specific foods should be produced on an international basis.
“The crisis in Ukraine reminds us that global food trade relies on a relatively small number of countries for the bulk of grain and oil seed exports. Disruptions in one or two countries can have a rippling effect in dozens of other countries and extend beyond the products initially blocked,” he said.
“Countries can reduce their risk of disruption by producing domestically where it makes sense and diversifying the source and type of imports where possible.
“Countries should also avoid export bans and other measures that constrain supplies in times of crisis as this creates artificial scarcity, increases costs and exacerbates supply disruptions, further undermining supply chains in times of crisis.”
Discussion on greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability and food security
A panel discussion followed, which included contributions from Jack Bobo; Grace Binchy, trends and insights specialist, Bord Bia; and Juan Aguiriano, head of sustainability at Kerry Group.
Significantly, both Binchy and Aguiriano confirmed that the scope to expand Irish dairy production still exists.
Binchy also pointed to the growing role of diversification within Irish farming as a whole.
“Plant and insect protein may well be part of the evolving debate on how a balanced diet can be delivered for consumers into the future,” she stated.
“However, the potential to sell more Irish dairy products around the world exists. And these opportunities must be realised.”
Aguiriano agreed. He pointed to a future within which consumers around the world will want to experience new food and tastes sensations. And it is in this context that Irish dairy can play a very important role.
Referencing Kerry Group’s suspension its operations in Russia, Aguiriano said that decisions of this nature were taken primarily on the basis that the safety of its workforce was secured at all times.