Sustainable agriculture can be a win-win-win for Ireland

That may be the best farmers can hope for, because of inevitable political pressure on agriculture to play its part in combating climate change.

The same message can be read between the lines of Teagasc research director Professor Frank O’Mara’s address on climate change to the Oireachtas joint committee on agriculture, food, and the marine last week.

Professor O’Mara said there is no single large-scale “silver bullet” option.

Barring that kind of technological breakthrough, there will be growing political pressures from “don’t eat livestock produce” and “reduce agriculture” lobbies. Professor O’Mara explained why those are not good options.

Irish initiatives to curb meat and dairy consumption because meat and dairy are associated with greenhouse gas emissions and climate change can have little impact on the emissions of our agri-food sector.

The reason is that the vast majority of our meat and dairy produce is not consumed here, it is for export.

“Reduce agriculture” in Ireland is not good advice, because our agricultural products products have a low level of GHG emissions associated per kg or litre of food output. If we stop producing them, they will instead be produced in countries likely to have higher emissions per unit of product.

Few sources are better placed than Teagasc research boss Professor O’Mara, to advise how to reduce emissions from our agriculture — which he said is necessary not least in order to ensure our agriculture is not unduly constrained by Ireland’s emission reduction targets up to 2030.

The Government will no doubt pay close attention to his advice that reducing agricultural emissions is challenging, but many different interventions, particularly on farms, can work together to cumulatively reduce emissions significantly.

Professor O’Mara’s advice is informed by Teagasc research findings over the last 15 years, during which time Teagasc made a substantial commitment in staff and other resources to tackling emissions on farms.

Trees planted by farmers can offset emissions from farms, if the rate of afforestation is increased nationally and sustained at a higher level over decades.

Fossil fuel substitution by processing farm produce could also offset emissions, but it is not clear if farmers would be credited at a national level for this positive contribution, as they would be for afforestation.

Professor O’Mara says solutions are required that limit emissions from Irish agriculture, but at the same time allow it to grow, where feasible, by remaining competitive at an EU and global level.

Sustainable agriculture can be a win-win-win for Irish farmers. Firstly, it is part of the world’s effort to rein in over-exploitation of natural resources which spells a threat through global warming and other negative trends such as loss of biodiversity and pollution.

Secondly, it is increasingly embedded in the minds of the consumers who we want buying Irish agri-food products,

Thirdly, sustainable food practices not only work for consumers, but can improve farm profitability. Professor O’Mara said part of Teagasc’s task is get that message taken up by farmers.

He admitted that reducing emissions per litre of milk or per kg of beef may be offset to some degree by additional emissions from an overall increase in production on Irish farms. For farmers to be allowed do that, they have to continue reducing absolute emissions through the measures identified by Teagasc, while enhancing carbon sequestration through forestry. Teagasc aims to put that philosophy into action on farms by transferring the necessary knowledge to farmers.

But the Government has a role too, said Professor O’Mara, in putting national policies in place to incentivise farmers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.