We, at An Taisce, are writing in response to the opinion piece written by Ciaran Fitzgerald on March 8, 2022, entitled ‘court decision on Glanbia cheese plant ‘unequivocal’’.
Mr. Fitzgerald writes that “An Taisce is now contesting the legitimacy of the Food Vision 2030 concept”. We would highlight that An Taisce is doing no such thing, and the judicial review alluded to is being taken by Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE), an entirely separate organisation.
Furthermore, Mr. Fitzgerald claims: “It [the Supreme Court ruling] further outlined why core elements of EU and national regulatory standards and legislated assessments of environmental impacts cannot be strained or misused by a special interest group, whose core stance is that it opposes government policy and its regulatory and planning structures”.
We would call on Mr. Fitzgerald to highlight where in the Supreme Court judgement this statement is to be found. From our reading of it, this sentiment/statement forms no part of the judgement, and we view this to be a clear misrepresentation of the substance of the judgement.
Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court, in accepting our challenge in December of 2021 recognised that it was “a fundamental issue going to the very heart of environmental law”.
And the most recent ruling itself said the following: “Although An Taisce has lost its appeal and its challenge to the grant of planning permission in respect of the factory has been dismissed, it has nevertheless raised important and practical issues regarding the development consent process.”
There are multiple pejorative references to An Taisce and our stance as being “tribal”, “anti agriculture”, “environmental lobby” dragons.
Agriland, and its authors, should be conscious of the critical role environmental advocates play in a free society, and should uphold their right for access to justice without persecution in the mainstream media, social media or elsewhere.
In this regard we would highlight the comments by a senior European Commission Official, Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, who stated at the Environment Ireland conference in January this year: “A particular concern for us is the increasingly aggressive stance being taken against environmental campaigners in Ireland. There is evidence [of]… negative reporting in mainstream media, and even from politicians – like threatening to cut off funding to certain NGOs.”
An Taisce and agriculture
To the accusation that An Taisce is anti-agriculture, we wish to restate that we are not anti-farmer, nor anti-agriculture.
What we are is pro a sustainable future for everyone, including sovereignty in our food production system. Our aim here is to highlight that there are challenges which need to be considered to protect the environment, and that there are environmental impacts that need to be managed.
You cannot ignore the multiple reports by the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] which clearly outline that all our environmental indicators are going in the wrong direction, and agricultural intensification, in particular dairy intensification, is leading to manifold environmental problems.
On foot of a 50% increase in dairy cows since 2010 we’re witnessing polluted water, loss of nature; and greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions increasing.
We stand up for the environment, and the reality is that recognising and highlighting the challenge coming down the line positions us in conflict with the unsustainable business as usual approach.
It’s not An Taisce against farmers, it’s us on behalf of the environment, for the benefit of both people and planet. Science doesn’t lie, irrespective of how inconvenient it may be.
Importance of food production
We clearly recognise the fundamental importance of food production, but given then science, the Irish export-driven food production model is clearly failing the environment.
The tragic situation in Ukraine also underlines the fact that our current agricultural model is heavily reliant on fertiliser and fodder imports from the likes of Ukraine and Russia, coupled with Ireland having to import large quantities of fruit and vegetables every year to feed ourselves.
It’s a precarious situation when the majority of our agriculture is reliant on international trade routes operating as normal, particularly in the face of future climate related disasters.
We believe that this should be a catalyst for change. The government needs to ensure that Irish farmers aren’t backed into a corner based on previous farming decisions, or doubling down on strategies that aren’t viable in the long-term.
Instead, we should be looking to see what the steps are to get us to a food production system which will work well for the next 10, 20 or 30 years, for farmers and for nature.
That system needs to be capable of feeding the Irish population without excessive inputs while supporting the livelihoods of a diversity of Irish farmers.
Given the disproportionate predominance of the livestock sector, and the current status of the Irish tillage and horticultural sector, developing the latter will take strong and decisive leadership.
Irrespective of this judgement, An Taisce continues to vigorously defend the interest of the environment and the rigorous application of all environmental legislation.
However, it is vital that we have strong government leadership to chart a path toward a fair and environmentally sound food production system so as to avoid having these conversations in the courts in the future.
From Elaine McGoff, An Taisce.