The parties involved in government-formation talks have been called on to closely look at how emissions from agriculture are calculated, before “rushing headlong into environmental flag waving”.
Tim Cullinan, the president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), called on the parties not to ignore “scientific developments”, particularly around methane emissions.
“I acknowledge the recognition in the response from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to the Green Party that biogenic methane must be treated differently. This is an important development,” Cullinan highlighted.
However, farmers must also be given credit for sequestration and the new climate bill has to factor in the latest Teagasc research which shows that nitrous oxide emissions from farming are being over-counted.
“There are also huge lessons to be learned from the Covid-19 crisis. There are still the same number of animals on our planet, but emissions have dropped through the floor. We need a serious re-look at how we are measuring and accounting for emissions,” the IFA president stressed.
He added: “The environmental credentials of our dairy and beef sectors are well established. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael cannot allow the Green Party tail to wag the dog. Farmers are ready to step up and embrace polices that put them at the centre of climate actions.”
Cullinan also highlighted the impact that reducing cattle numbers would have on the rural economy, particularly as it tires to recover from the Covid-19 impact.
“Farmers are enthusiastic about getting involved in renewables, but Government action to date on farm-scale renewables has been practically non-existent,” Cullinan claimed.
FF/FG response to Greens
The leaders of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have today, Wednesday, April 29, responded to the Green Party’s letter outlining a number of pre-conditions that its leader Eamon Ryan wanted clarified before agreeing to enter into government-formation talks.
Some of the key issues that the Green Party sought further detail on were greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets – to reach a possible 7% average reduction per year – and the establishment of a national land use policy.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin addressed these issues – which are pertinent to the farming community and wider industry – in this extract from the letter.