Policy choices at government and farm level now will be crucial to ensuring Ireland can lead the EU-wide challenge to balance food security and climate change objectives in the coming decades, according to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
In a report published today, the Committee points to the growing importance of afforestation and the use of agricultural soils as carbon sinks in Ireland’s land mix.
The Report on Land Use – Maximising its Potential follows a series of hearings with prominent experts earlier in the year. With requisite Government commitment and support from the farming community, the cross-party Committee believes that the shorter term challenges of reaching the FH2020 targets and environmental commitments can be met.
The Report contains findings on key issues both at a strategic level and also on a farm-specific level, including that:
Concepts such as sustainable intensification (SI) and offsetting (or land sharing) be further assessed, with a view to putting them into practice where possible;
The provision of grants for afforestation and bioenergy crops be explored;
The opportunities in high-technology schemes and greening measures proposed under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2014-2020 be fully grasped;
Knowledge transfer to farmers through upskilling for all agricultural and environmental farm advisors be fostered;
The greater use of farmer discussion groups and demonstration farms be encouraged, and
At farm level, the use of low carbon farming tools be supported.
Committee Chairman Andrew Doyle TD says: “As pointed out to us during our hearings, changing land use is a slow process in every country that requires early engagement because it is difficult to manage. Accordingly, we have produced what we believe to be a well-researched and balanced report which engages with the policy and legislative-making EU process. We do so determined that the voice of the Committee and of a range of stakeholders from Ireland be heard at this early stage at EU level when outcomes can more realistically be influenced. Ireland must be in a position to inform this process rather than respond to it in ten years’ time.
“On behalf of the Committee, I wish to thank representatives from Teagasc, Coillte, the Directorates General of the European Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, UCD’s School of Agriculture and Food Science and Bord na Móna for their participation in the meetings earlier this year. Their contributions have played a key role in the formulation of this report. The green, clean image of Ireland’s agricultural produce is key to how we market our produce and this report pulls together a variety of studies and strands of opinion on how we sustain this record into the future. Copies of the report will be sent to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and his Department, the EU Commission and we hope to have the opportunity to debate its contents on the floors of both the Dáil and Seanad in the near future.”
You can download a copy of the Committee report here.
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