The Climate Action Plan 2021 sets out a roadmap for taking decisive action to halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero no later than 2050. The overall emissions target for agriculture is a reduction of 22 to 30 per cent by 2030, a lower target than had been anticipated. Many had expected more robust measures to apply, including some actions to reduce the national cattle herd. Instead, the Government adopted a very cautious approach and is hopeful for political reasons that some combination of economic, sectoral or fortuitous circumstances will make harder decisions avoidable in the future.
Agriculture accounts for more than one-third of Irish greenhouse gas emissions, driven mainly from the national cattle herd and nitrogen fertiliser use. While the pressure from the level of fertiliser application can be contained by alternative products and not least from the dramatic increase in fertiliser prices, the main focus is firmly on the national cattle herd as the primary source of emissions.
Farming interests must know that a reduction in emissions is inevitable, although they keep repeating that any imposition of restrictions on farm production would have a catastrophic impact on the rural economy. However, the day of reckoning is fast approaching when specific and tangible actions have to commence to reduce GHG from agriculture and both farmers and the relevant Government departments will have to come off the fence.
They are leaving it rather late, as we are well into the first carbon budget period 2021-2025, but we are now getting the first indication of what might ensue from the Interim report of the Food Vision Dairy Group, established by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This group was set up to identify measures that the sector can take to contribute to “initially stabilising and then reducing emissionsâ€.
Sooner or later, the issue of how emissions from the national cattle herd can be reduced will have to be faced up to, and whether the reduction in numbers comes from the dairy or beef herds or both is an important matter. Beef and dairy enterprises now dominate Irish agriculture – occurring on about 80 per cent of farms, with about 16,000 dairy farms, down from 110,000 in the mid-1960s, and 85,000 non-dairy cattle farms.
The impact for the national and farm economy of a 10 per cent reduction in the dairy herd would lead to an estimated decline of more than €500 million in agri-food exports, and a €150 million reduction in dairy farm income. With respect to the beef herd, it would require a fall of about 17 per cent to match numerically the decline in dairy cow numbers, but the decline in the value of exports would be small, as dairy is more than double the value of beef exports. Interestingly, there would be an actual increase in aggregate beef farm incomes with that reduction in the herd, as market output in cattle farming has not been sufficient to cover production costs for many years.
Which of the two herds should bear the burden of reducing greenhouse gases?
First, the dairy cow herd, its progeny and associated chemical nitrogen usage account for 40 per cent of total agriculture emissions. They have also been increasing steadily since the dairy quota was abolished in 2015. Second, the impact of reducing the dairy rather than the beef herds is much more costly to the farming economy. Third, the beef cow herd is falling in numbers but at only at half the rate at which the dairy herd is increasing. Fourth, dairying, which has been falling inexorably as a farm enterprise over the past half century, is now the preserve of the most intensive and efficient corps in Irish farming, is relatively large in scale, is four times more profitable than beef farming and is one of the most competitive dairy enterprises in the world.
In decline
By contrast, the beef farming is mostly small in scale and less efficient, carried out by landholders of whom nearly half are part-time, are older than average, have less contact with support services and are more conservative in their farming activities.
Beef farming is financially the more vulnerable, is heavily dependent on subsidies, and is already in decline. This trend could and should be accelerated, and accompanied by a targeted forestry expansion campaign and made particularly attractive to low-income beef farmers. The replacement of beef farming with forestry is a win-win action. It increases farm income, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly increases carbon sequestration.
What, then, for dairy farming? It is undeniably best placed to exploit Ireland’s comparative advantage in milk production. And yet it is now adding significantly to the sector’s GHG emissions. What is needed is a concentrated focus by the sector on reducing these emissions by implementing the Teagasc Signpost Programme, urgently and collectively adopting those new technologies, which include feed additives, new developments in livestock breeding, changes in fertiliser use and multi-sward species to mitigate emissions.
The dairy mitigation campaign should be led by the processing sector by entering into dialogue and working collaboratively with their suppliers on an agreed technical emissions plan. The plan should also include a measure to restore and enhance biodiversity features on dairy farms to contribute to offsetting emissions.
The farming sector is confronted with the strangest scenario imaginable. Curtailing output goes against the grain. The vast majority of farmers have beef or dairy enterprises and these are the very ones which produce Ireland’s finest farm products but also the unmentionable greenhouse gases. What may ultimately transpire and the most logical outcome economically, is that the beef herd should bear the brunt of the adjustment to a more climate-friendly agriculture and dairying should continue to expand modestly but in a more environmentally compatible manner by focusing more on increasing efficiency with stable or smaller herds.
Brendan Kearney is an independent economic consultant.
If that meat ends up on my plate in the form of free steaks, then I’m totally on board with a cull.
Replace with cockroach stew and Earwig kebab . Tasty future
Yeah let’s increase the prices of not only rent, fuel, heating, but now food too!
We heading into a recession, that will cut emissions nicely …we have homeless , food lines ….and home repressions…… people who can’t afford any fuels car or house hold ….should be a terrific time for the Green Party.
This is mental, we export most of our beef to the continent, the deficit will simply be made up by importing Brazilian beef which has a higher carbon footprint before its even put on a plane and flown halfway across the world. No matter what way you look at it, food consumption will not go down and the global emissions will go up not down by making such a change.
I don’t know the exact figures but it’s something like one flight to Spain is greater than the emissions of an entire Irish farm for a year. Sun holidays are hardly necessary yet you won’t see the Green Party campaigning for a reduction in flights as their voter base is almost entirely urban.
The only part of that article that makes sense is where it mentions incentivised broadleaf forestry on farms but the current system disincentives even having a small corner of scrub or forestry. It wouldn’t cost a lot and would be very effective but would involve changing the EU CAP rules.
Of course the green party won’t address this as they don’t truly care about policies that work, just the optics and fiddled carbon emission numbers.
*meat emissions
[removed]
what next? A swift kick in the nuts?
Meanwhile the Amazon reached record deforestation levels recently.
Green TDs should be culled at the next election.
Unless the consumption habits change then culling the herd does feck all..
​
if the demand is still there for meat then it will just be imported thus creating a bigger carbon footprint..
​
Reminds me of board na mona having to cease cutting peat to help the environment but not changing their peat consumption habits and now theyre importing peat from england and denmark to burn here in ireland. makes loads of sense that..
Reading that piece reminds me how ruthless a lot of people are. Getting rid of the beef sector and continuing to grow the dairy sector (combined with rules that limit how far calves can be transported) will see a lot of male calves treated as biological waste. They will be killed a few days after they are born with a bolt gun to the head. The dairy sector he proposes is intensive with little room for compassion. After quotas were abolished it was treated as white gold, sheep were not profitable and cereal farming is not always viable. The dairy sector is also labour intensive even technology can’t replace that and the technology to help with it is not cheap. And if you look at long term trends milk prices don’t always hold up, there have been really bad years for milk. Usually when another a country enters the dairy market.
The thing is that we are good at cattle and diary but we do need to reduce our carbon emissions, reducing numbers has to be part of it but farming needs to be viable industry. Otherwise we are just offshoring the problems. We will need to plant forests (not just trees), grow grains and vegetables. But they traditionally had a hard competing and are also labour intensive. We don’t always get enough warmth and sunshine to get them to go grow. It is why the potato was such a miracle crop. There are new cereals that we could grow here.
But am still annoyed with the writer even though he is not wrong.
Eh no. Ireland produces the best beef on the planet. I don’t want to eat foreign food when we can grow the best on our doorstep.
OECD calling for a 28% increase in food production while people here calling for the national herd to be culled is stupid. We’re among the best in the world for quality and environmental efficiency of meat and dairy, not to mention that the amount of money the sectors bring into the country from export that is then directly spent in the local community by farmers. Between 2020 and 2021 milk price to farmers went up around 5 cent I think that’s around the same as the government investing over 10million into the rural community. Not to mention the carbon leakage that would inevitably come about from reduction in our Agri sector. Obviously biodiversity and emissions have to be improved alot but culling isn’t the way to do it.
Interesting article and some good comments. Writing is on the wall for agriculture be it now or later. Be very interesting to see how the government stands up to Agri lobby pressure. From a forestry standpoint the country is on its knees. The suggestion that broadleaf planting is a viable solution alone is false and all the well-wishing and soundbites won’t change that.
Let farmers earn from their carbon sequestration so they so can trade and according to their land potential and food ambitions.
Holy mother of god what’s wrong with these people . They are destroying the Dutch aswell . We’re about to enter a global famine and they are talking about taking a sledgehammer to food producers all in the name of some target they will eventually abandon when it becomes clear it was built on gammy logic .
What a load of shite. Ireland produces food to feed I think approx 45 million people (open to correction). Our carbon emissions targets in terms of agriculture should be adjusted based on this. Global demand for food is not going to decrease anytime soon.
beef is class
can’t we do silvopasture or something instead of culling?
Man alive every time o see, read or hear articles about cutting the production of livestock I shake my head in disbelief.
Ireland produces a very green product in comparison so other countries. Our animals have a better life, mostly living outdoors and on grass. This is how it should be. Has anyone seen factory farming in the states or other large countries, it’s disgusting and extremely cruel.
It’s time now our government stands up and says yes, agriculture pollutes but no matter where it is done it polluted and here it’s best in class.
And yes we all need to reduce meat intake etc for a balanced diet anyways but some of the figures I’ve heard politician say we should cull by is stupid.
Do you remember the furore caused by the suggestion of banning turf, well the kickback on this will be that x100.
Rural TDs are never going to sell this locally, our democratic process will not facilliate it happening, there’ll be a long finger fudge about efficiencies & pushing out the timeframe.
Our electoral process meams this will never happen.
Kinda flys contrary to the OECD saying we need to increase foods production by 28%
The solution is hemp. It’s currently heavily restricted by the department of health due to dated drug laws. Hemp can be used for so much and in the future farmers will naturally reduce their herd size in favour of growing it.
People seem to have a beef with environmentalists, off the hoof comments advocating for killing them etc. There’s no use crying over spilled milk, take a leaf from my book and don’t have a cow
Ever notice how all these cunts never say ‘plant trees’? It always tax this. Cull that. Shut down X industry. Blah blah blah. So bizarre.
Fucking lousy to kill them. I am not vegetarian but I can still see they’re animals with lives. Let them live for Christ sake.
The people saying this are probably from Dublin and don’t understand that us beef farmers in rural areas depend on beef and dairy. Also, the reason ireland is so great and iconic is because of its agriculture, this is an agricultural country, I agree that emissions should be lowered and that some farmers could do a better job but for that to happen WE NEED MONEY. And agriculture isn’t the only cause of climate change; if people in Dublin who live near work would walk or cycle instead of driving everywhere ( this goes for all towns and cities ) because the people in rural areas are being blamed for making a living while the big politicians and tds are going around in big diesel cars and blaming us small people. This is something I’ve been meaning to say for a while but ffs will people give farmers a break, its been our way of life for thousands of years.
30 comments
The Climate Action Plan 2021 sets out a roadmap for taking decisive action to halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero no later than 2050. The overall emissions target for agriculture is a reduction of 22 to 30 per cent by 2030, a lower target than had been anticipated. Many had expected more robust measures to apply, including some actions to reduce the national cattle herd. Instead, the Government adopted a very cautious approach and is hopeful for political reasons that some combination of economic, sectoral or fortuitous circumstances will make harder decisions avoidable in the future.
Agriculture accounts for more than one-third of Irish greenhouse gas emissions, driven mainly from the national cattle herd and nitrogen fertiliser use. While the pressure from the level of fertiliser application can be contained by alternative products and not least from the dramatic increase in fertiliser prices, the main focus is firmly on the national cattle herd as the primary source of emissions.
Farming interests must know that a reduction in emissions is inevitable, although they keep repeating that any imposition of restrictions on farm production would have a catastrophic impact on the rural economy. However, the day of reckoning is fast approaching when specific and tangible actions have to commence to reduce GHG from agriculture and both farmers and the relevant Government departments will have to come off the fence.
They are leaving it rather late, as we are well into the first carbon budget period 2021-2025, but we are now getting the first indication of what might ensue from the Interim report of the Food Vision Dairy Group, established by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. This group was set up to identify measures that the sector can take to contribute to “initially stabilising and then reducing emissionsâ€.
Sooner or later, the issue of how emissions from the national cattle herd can be reduced will have to be faced up to, and whether the reduction in numbers comes from the dairy or beef herds or both is an important matter. Beef and dairy enterprises now dominate Irish agriculture – occurring on about 80 per cent of farms, with about 16,000 dairy farms, down from 110,000 in the mid-1960s, and 85,000 non-dairy cattle farms.
The impact for the national and farm economy of a 10 per cent reduction in the dairy herd would lead to an estimated decline of more than €500 million in agri-food exports, and a €150 million reduction in dairy farm income. With respect to the beef herd, it would require a fall of about 17 per cent to match numerically the decline in dairy cow numbers, but the decline in the value of exports would be small, as dairy is more than double the value of beef exports. Interestingly, there would be an actual increase in aggregate beef farm incomes with that reduction in the herd, as market output in cattle farming has not been sufficient to cover production costs for many years.
Which of the two herds should bear the burden of reducing greenhouse gases?
First, the dairy cow herd, its progeny and associated chemical nitrogen usage account for 40 per cent of total agriculture emissions. They have also been increasing steadily since the dairy quota was abolished in 2015. Second, the impact of reducing the dairy rather than the beef herds is much more costly to the farming economy. Third, the beef cow herd is falling in numbers but at only at half the rate at which the dairy herd is increasing. Fourth, dairying, which has been falling inexorably as a farm enterprise over the past half century, is now the preserve of the most intensive and efficient corps in Irish farming, is relatively large in scale, is four times more profitable than beef farming and is one of the most competitive dairy enterprises in the world.
In decline
By contrast, the beef farming is mostly small in scale and less efficient, carried out by landholders of whom nearly half are part-time, are older than average, have less contact with support services and are more conservative in their farming activities.
Beef farming is financially the more vulnerable, is heavily dependent on subsidies, and is already in decline. This trend could and should be accelerated, and accompanied by a targeted forestry expansion campaign and made particularly attractive to low-income beef farmers. The replacement of beef farming with forestry is a win-win action. It increases farm income, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly increases carbon sequestration.
What, then, for dairy farming? It is undeniably best placed to exploit Ireland’s comparative advantage in milk production. And yet it is now adding significantly to the sector’s GHG emissions. What is needed is a concentrated focus by the sector on reducing these emissions by implementing the Teagasc Signpost Programme, urgently and collectively adopting those new technologies, which include feed additives, new developments in livestock breeding, changes in fertiliser use and multi-sward species to mitigate emissions.
The dairy mitigation campaign should be led by the processing sector by entering into dialogue and working collaboratively with their suppliers on an agreed technical emissions plan. The plan should also include a measure to restore and enhance biodiversity features on dairy farms to contribute to offsetting emissions.
The farming sector is confronted with the strangest scenario imaginable. Curtailing output goes against the grain. The vast majority of farmers have beef or dairy enterprises and these are the very ones which produce Ireland’s finest farm products but also the unmentionable greenhouse gases. What may ultimately transpire and the most logical outcome economically, is that the beef herd should bear the brunt of the adjustment to a more climate-friendly agriculture and dairying should continue to expand modestly but in a more environmentally compatible manner by focusing more on increasing efficiency with stable or smaller herds.
Brendan Kearney is an independent economic consultant.
If that meat ends up on my plate in the form of free steaks, then I’m totally on board with a cull.
Replace with cockroach stew and Earwig kebab . Tasty future
Yeah let’s increase the prices of not only rent, fuel, heating, but now food too!
We heading into a recession, that will cut emissions nicely …we have homeless , food lines ….and home repressions…… people who can’t afford any fuels car or house hold ….should be a terrific time for the Green Party.
This is mental, we export most of our beef to the continent, the deficit will simply be made up by importing Brazilian beef which has a higher carbon footprint before its even put on a plane and flown halfway across the world. No matter what way you look at it, food consumption will not go down and the global emissions will go up not down by making such a change.
I don’t know the exact figures but it’s something like one flight to Spain is greater than the emissions of an entire Irish farm for a year. Sun holidays are hardly necessary yet you won’t see the Green Party campaigning for a reduction in flights as their voter base is almost entirely urban.
The only part of that article that makes sense is where it mentions incentivised broadleaf forestry on farms but the current system disincentives even having a small corner of scrub or forestry. It wouldn’t cost a lot and would be very effective but would involve changing the EU CAP rules.
Of course the green party won’t address this as they don’t truly care about policies that work, just the optics and fiddled carbon emission numbers.
*meat emissions
[removed]
what next? A swift kick in the nuts?
Meanwhile the Amazon reached record deforestation levels recently.
Green TDs should be culled at the next election.
Unless the consumption habits change then culling the herd does feck all..
​
if the demand is still there for meat then it will just be imported thus creating a bigger carbon footprint..
​
Reminds me of board na mona having to cease cutting peat to help the environment but not changing their peat consumption habits and now theyre importing peat from england and denmark to burn here in ireland. makes loads of sense that..
Reading that piece reminds me how ruthless a lot of people are. Getting rid of the beef sector and continuing to grow the dairy sector (combined with rules that limit how far calves can be transported) will see a lot of male calves treated as biological waste. They will be killed a few days after they are born with a bolt gun to the head. The dairy sector he proposes is intensive with little room for compassion. After quotas were abolished it was treated as white gold, sheep were not profitable and cereal farming is not always viable. The dairy sector is also labour intensive even technology can’t replace that and the technology to help with it is not cheap. And if you look at long term trends milk prices don’t always hold up, there have been really bad years for milk. Usually when another a country enters the dairy market.
The thing is that we are good at cattle and diary but we do need to reduce our carbon emissions, reducing numbers has to be part of it but farming needs to be viable industry. Otherwise we are just offshoring the problems. We will need to plant forests (not just trees), grow grains and vegetables. But they traditionally had a hard competing and are also labour intensive. We don’t always get enough warmth and sunshine to get them to go grow. It is why the potato was such a miracle crop. There are new cereals that we could grow here.
But am still annoyed with the writer even though he is not wrong.
Eh no. Ireland produces the best beef on the planet. I don’t want to eat foreign food when we can grow the best on our doorstep.
OECD calling for a 28% increase in food production while people here calling for the national herd to be culled is stupid. We’re among the best in the world for quality and environmental efficiency of meat and dairy, not to mention that the amount of money the sectors bring into the country from export that is then directly spent in the local community by farmers. Between 2020 and 2021 milk price to farmers went up around 5 cent I think that’s around the same as the government investing over 10million into the rural community. Not to mention the carbon leakage that would inevitably come about from reduction in our Agri sector. Obviously biodiversity and emissions have to be improved alot but culling isn’t the way to do it.
Interesting article and some good comments. Writing is on the wall for agriculture be it now or later. Be very interesting to see how the government stands up to Agri lobby pressure. From a forestry standpoint the country is on its knees. The suggestion that broadleaf planting is a viable solution alone is false and all the well-wishing and soundbites won’t change that.
Let farmers earn from their carbon sequestration so they so can trade and according to their land potential and food ambitions.
Holy mother of god what’s wrong with these people . They are destroying the Dutch aswell . We’re about to enter a global famine and they are talking about taking a sledgehammer to food producers all in the name of some target they will eventually abandon when it becomes clear it was built on gammy logic .
What a load of shite. Ireland produces food to feed I think approx 45 million people (open to correction). Our carbon emissions targets in terms of agriculture should be adjusted based on this. Global demand for food is not going to decrease anytime soon.
beef is class
can’t we do silvopasture or something instead of culling?
Man alive every time o see, read or hear articles about cutting the production of livestock I shake my head in disbelief.
Ireland produces a very green product in comparison so other countries. Our animals have a better life, mostly living outdoors and on grass. This is how it should be. Has anyone seen factory farming in the states or other large countries, it’s disgusting and extremely cruel.
It’s time now our government stands up and says yes, agriculture pollutes but no matter where it is done it polluted and here it’s best in class.
And yes we all need to reduce meat intake etc for a balanced diet anyways but some of the figures I’ve heard politician say we should cull by is stupid.
Do you remember the furore caused by the suggestion of banning turf, well the kickback on this will be that x100.
Rural TDs are never going to sell this locally, our democratic process will not facilliate it happening, there’ll be a long finger fudge about efficiencies & pushing out the timeframe.
Our electoral process meams this will never happen.
Kinda flys contrary to the OECD saying we need to increase foods production by 28%
https://ibb.co/2FrzLrz
Like here’s a common sense approach to reducing methane emissions- it’s practically free to add seaweed to feed and it reduces emissions by 82%.
https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/18/cows-seaweed-methane-emissions-scientists
The solution is hemp. It’s currently heavily restricted by the department of health due to dated drug laws. Hemp can be used for so much and in the future farmers will naturally reduce their herd size in favour of growing it.
People seem to have a beef with environmentalists, off the hoof comments advocating for killing them etc. There’s no use crying over spilled milk, take a leaf from my book and don’t have a cow
Ever notice how all these cunts never say ‘plant trees’? It always tax this. Cull that. Shut down X industry. Blah blah blah. So bizarre.
Fucking lousy to kill them. I am not vegetarian but I can still see they’re animals with lives. Let them live for Christ sake.
The people saying this are probably from Dublin and don’t understand that us beef farmers in rural areas depend on beef and dairy. Also, the reason ireland is so great and iconic is because of its agriculture, this is an agricultural country, I agree that emissions should be lowered and that some farmers could do a better job but for that to happen WE NEED MONEY. And agriculture isn’t the only cause of climate change; if people in Dublin who live near work would walk or cycle instead of driving everywhere ( this goes for all towns and cities ) because the people in rural areas are being blamed for making a living while the big politicians and tds are going around in big diesel cars and blaming us small people. This is something I’ve been meaning to say for a while but ffs will people give farmers a break, its been our way of life for thousands of years.
No it shouldn’t, next