An Irish MEP has said that the National Ploughing Championships can serve as an opportunity to allow the “accomplishments” of Irish farmers to be highlighted.
Ireland Midlands-Northwest MEP Colm Markey made these comments following the statement made by the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in her annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament last week that acknowledged the EU needed to work with farmers.
Markey, who is a member of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, said: “I was encouraged by President von der Leyen’s vision for the future of agriculture in Europe.”
During her address, von der Leyen expressed her gratitude to farmers for producing healthy food every day.
She noted that this is “not an easy task” in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, climate change and “new obligations” on farmers.
“We would like to launch a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture. I am and remain convinced that agriculture and protection of our natural world can go hand in hand, we need both,” von der Leyen said.
Markey said: “I welcome the EU strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture, announced by Ms von der Leyen, and believe Ireland has a major role to play.
“This week’s National Ploughing Championships should serve as a platform to highlight the accomplishments of Irish farmers and be used as an opportunity to foster unity so that we can shape an even more sustainable and prosperous future for farming.”
The MEP echoed von der Leyen’s comments on how working together with farmers is key to achieving climate targets, which he said is being done in Ireland.
Markey said he was “pleased” to hear von der Leyen’s “acknowledgment of the significant strides being made by farmers” in reaching environmental targets.
“Here are home, we are already witnessing positive outcomes, with Ireland already surpassing its 2030 pesticide reduction targets.
“We need to change the narrative and remind the wider public, as Ursula Von der Leyen emphasised, that agriculture and the protection of the natural world go hand in hand.”
Markey said it is “imperative” for people to “work together” to tackle “climate change and biodiversity loss”.
“In Ireland, we recently witnessed the detrimental effects of polarisation, which pitted farmers against so-called environmentalists.
“We must learn from this experience. We must work with farmers, not against them.
“In Europe, our food security is guaranteed thanks to the men and women working the land every single day,” Markey added.
Food security was also referred to by von der Leyen in her state of the EU speech, who said that it must be “in harmony with nature”.
Markey said that there would be challenges faced by farmers to guarantee food security while working in harmony with nature.
“Farmers face their own set of challenges due to climate change, the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, and new obligations imposed on them.
“We should take pride in the initiatives undertaken by Irish farmers to embrace sustainability in these difficult circumstances.”