The government must announce “real supports” for Irish farmers now that it has agreed on the sectoral emissions targets, MEPs Billy Kelleher and Sean Kelly have said.
Speaking about the 25% emissions reduction target for agriculture that was announced last week, Kelleher said that it is clear this will not be met without real supports and financial incentives for Irish farmers and homeowners.
The government last year announced a pilot scheme for anaerobic digestion (AD), a technology which has huge potential to benefit the agricultural industry, Kelleher explained. However, it is also a technology that has been in use around Europe for decades, he added.
“At the time, I questioned the necessity for a pilot scheme. This isn’t new technology,” he said.
He called instead for actions that will deliver to the farmers, including serious investment and cooperation with farm organisations.
“We also need to see real action on solar power,” said Kelleher. “There are still way too many barriers to farmers and homeowners selling excess electricity to the grid.”
The MEP is calling for obstacles such as these to be addressed and for direct action to begin. He added that he has communicated this opinion to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and stated:
“I’ve communicated with the Minister for Agriculture my concerns on this issue and have requested a detailed briefing at the forthcoming Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party Think In in September on these issues.”
These statements have been echoed by Kelleher’s fellow MEP Sean Kelly, who said that the emissions reduction agreement must be accompanied by “concrete measures” to help Irish farmers achieve it.
The Fine Gael MEP stated that Ireland now faces a transformation of its food production and consumption systems and as it goes through that, it cannot ignore the people whose livelihoods depend on it.
“A sustainable business model, both in environmental and economic terms, is within reach, but we need strong leadership from the government to provide certainty to the market and businesses,” he said.
“Targets are important, but I am more interested in the details of how the government will incentivise farmers.”
“We must move to a system that rewards farmers’ efforts in implementing more climate-friendly practices,” Kelly said.