The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has rejected “out of hand” proposals by the European Commission to introduce emissions permits for livestock farming, according to beef chair, Edmund Graham.
New proposals would introduce emissions permits for farms with over 150 livestock units, however, Graham said, these do not consider that extensive farms could exceed that number while having a low stocking rate.
Permits will add unacceptable cost, extra paperwork and additional stress to small and medium-sized family farms, according to the ICSA beef chair. He added:
“Worse still, it will lead to an appalling vista of potential objections and interference with basic farming by all sorts of mischievous troublemakers.”
The ICSA beef chair criticised the European Union (EU) for “trying to put all the blame for climate change on livestock farming”, while other countries are heavily dependent on gas, oil and coal from Russia.
Countries, including Germany, according to Graham, continue to import fossil-fuel energy, while Ireland is faced with consequences from Brussels putting the blame on livestock farmers in the EU.
He added that the commission is increasingly becoming detached from people in rural communities across Europe:
“If there was any real intent, then every farmer would be realistically incentivised to cover shed roofs with solar panels and to develop biogas and biofuel sectors – but this is not happening.”
Politicians across the board in the European Parliament recently said meat is a problem not only with climate change but with food security, arising from the terrible events in Ukraine, according to the beef chair.
He added that Irish MEPs need to do more and stand up for sustainable grass-based livestock farming, and is calling on all politicians to oppose burdens designed to save the planet, which, he said, in reality have little to do with the problem.
“The reality is that we must go further to support Irish beef, sheep, and dairy production for contributing significantly to EU food security, instead of trying to undermine it at every turn,” the ICSA beef chair said.