I sense that tremendous opportunities are about to come the way of the Irish food industry. And we will have Britain to thank for this.
The UK government has recently published its Green Finance Strategy document.
It identifies the myriad investment options that can be taken over the coming years to drive sustainability across the British economy as a whole.
Not surprisingly, it references changes in land use policy that help can make this happen.
So much for the background: in my opinion, the document makes tremendous reading from the Irish food industry’s point of view.
I make this point because little or no reference is made to the issue of indigenous food security within it.
What a win: win scenario this represents for Irish farmers.
The potential for Irish food companies to partner with UK supermarkets and other British retail operation is immense as we look to the future.
Currently, overall food sufficiency in the UK stands at around 65%.
Given the growing demand for land in that part of the world to produce green energy, while also delivering enhanced environmental and biodiversity-related benefits for society as a whole, this figure is likely to fall further.
The opportunities for the Irish food sector in this context are immense. All we need now are a Taoiseach and a Minister for Agriculture who are committed to the further expansion of food output in Ireland.
And this can be achieved without diluting our commitment to sustainable land use policies in any way.
As many Irish farm leaders have pointed out over recent weeks, the real issue confronting Irish agriculture is how to make best use of the crop nutrients the industry aleady produces.
In my opinion, this is not a challenge: it is an opportunity.
We should be making best use of every slurry and farmyard manure source that is available in the county.
Doing so will dramatically improve our farm efficiency ratings while, at the same time, significantly reducing our reliance on imported fertilisers.
Over the past year or so, there has been considerable discussion on the pros and cons of reducing cow numbers.
The poor old cow – dairy and suckler – has taken a real hammering over recent times, earning a dubious reputation within the sustainability debate, which I know is totally unjustified.
Meanwhile, no one has ever suggested that Ireland puts a physical cap on the amount of bagged fertiliser allowed into the country.
If such an approach was taken then, overnight, the focus of attention would fall on how best to utilise all our animal manures.
And the technology is available to make this happen.
I attended a recent soils’ event at Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford. One of the most interesting presentations of the day related to the work that has been carried out in extracting phosphorous – in the form of struvite – from sewage sludge.
This is a crystalline form of combined nitrogen and phosphorous that is pathogen-free.
So why can’t the same technologies cannot be applied to animal slurries and farmyard manures?
But I come back to the fundamental point.
The UK is fast running out of indigenously produced food. And, in this context, the future opportunities for Ireland’s farming and food sectors are immense.