Strategic funding strategies will be needed to deliver on the aspirations of Climate Action Plan 2023, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said.
The new strategy, published by the government yesterday (Wednesday, December 21), provides a framework to achieve the legally-binding carbon budgets and sectoral emissions reduction ceilings agreed in July.
However, concerns are being raised about how the measures outlined in the plan will be funded, particularly for the agriculture sector.
The government has said that an annex to document, outlining more detail on the actions, will be published early in 2023.
ICSA
ICSA president Dermot Kelleher said that the Climate Action Plan 2023 is “long on aspiration and short on specific funding strategies”.
“The government is now going to have to put money in place to deliver on its aspirations,” he said.
Kelleher said that farmers would be relieved to hear that there is no mention of a 10% cull of the national herd either on a voluntary or compulsory basis.
“However, the plan is surprisingly short on proposals to fund any climate actions by active farmers.
“It calls into question whether the government is serious about a coherent strategy across all sectors when the plan actually envisages €119 billion investment but makes no mention of a funding package for farming,” the ICSA president added.
“Substantial investment is required as evidenced by estimates of €42 billion for transport, €36 billion for electricity and €32 billion for buildings.
“Agriculture barely registers when it comes to expected investment.
“This flies in the face of all logic when one considers that agriculture is expected to deliver 5.75 MT CO2 eq which is not far removed from the electricity target of 7 MT CO2 eq and the transport target of 6 MT CO2 eq,” the ICSA president said.
“The key point is that farmers are willing to do all they can to improve the sustainability metrics of producing highly nutritious meat and dairy which is critical to food security globally.
“It is now time to move away from the one-sided attack on livestock farming.
“The government must now step up to the plate and deliver the funding necessary to assist farmers deliver on climate, on food security, on energy security and on biodiversity,” Kelleher concluded.