The Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group has published its final report today (Wednesday, November 30).
The report puts forward nine direct measures that could be adapted by the beef sector to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Included in the report are two options to reduce the number of suckler cows in the country.
The two voluntary options suggested are as follows:
- Voluntary Diversification Scheme: This entails the removal of suckler cows on a farm and the development of other non-breeding beef or sheep enterprises and/or other farm enterprises.
- Voluntary Extensification Scheme: This option entails a reduction in the number of suckler cows on a farm and the development of other non-breeding beef or sheep enterprises and/or other farm enterprises.
Both options outline an indicative figure for income foregone per suckler cow removed in each scenario.
Where farmers are exiting suckler cows, €1,080 was used as the indicative figure for income foregone. Where farmers are reducing suckler cows, €1,350 was used as the indicative figure for income foregone.
The report emphasised that these figures are estimated figures only and are not recommendations.
The report further outlined that the level of public funding for any scheme would be “a matter for further consideration”.
The Voluntary Diversification Scheme would involve farmers committing to completely destock breeding ruminants for a contract period.
The Voluntary Extensification Scheme would involve farmers committing to partially destock breeding ruminants for a contract period.
The group delivered its 86-page report to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue today.
In addition to the nine direct measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it outlines a further 12 “enabling measures” to incentivise farmers to adopt these measures.
The chair of the group, Prof. Thia Hennessy, acknowledged that it had been a “difficult process” for all the members involved in the group.
She said at the heart of the process was a “common goal of identifying measures which can reduce emissions from the beef sector while also protecting the viability of more than 80,000 farm families engaged in beef production in Ireland”.
In the final report, the members said that it was “accepted” that there was a need to significantly “step up the implementation of new and existing measures” to meet the 2030 target of 25% for emissions reductions from the agriculture sector compared to 2018 emissions levels.