GM set to feature in food debate as costs rise
Given his green credentials and his commitment to organically grown food, his policy of producing food close to market makes sense from many standpoints.
As minister, he is committed to trying to move food and agriculture to practices that are environmentally friendly and that comply with best practices in terms of producing food for local consumption, which is key to those who think green.
With oil at over $93 (€64) per barrel — at or above all-time highs — any development that cuts costs has an in-built logic to it.
Transport costs are rising and the carbon footprint issue has quite serious implications for the food we consume given that some of it travels thousands of miles to decorate our vegetable stalls as demand for the more exotic increases to spice up our jaded palates.
Mr Sargent’s notion of killing cattle closer to home, praiseworthy as that may be however, flies in the face of government policy.
For several years, through an Enterprise Ireland initiative, the Government has been trying to implement a strategy to cut the number of beef plants by about a third in order to create a more vibrant and cost-effective beef sector, which would ultimately give farmers a better deal.
Farmers were always sceptical about that and have long accused the industry of operating a cartel.
In that sense any moves to open more abattoirs would meet farmer approval especially when the price of beef has been problematic for most of this year.
John Murray of Bord Bia commented earlier this year that rising beef consumption worldwide, soaring grain prices and carbon footprint issues, as well as food price inflation, are positive for the future of beef production in Ireland where our grass based feeding system helps — to some degree — to keep beef production in Ireland more efficient.
However, Bord Bia assurances are based on the belief that economic costs are rising due to dearergrain prices and the cost implications of cutting carbon emissions.
And the rising cost of food is in fact the broader issue here. The promoters of GM crops, such as giant multinational Monsanto, argue they have the answers, but to date the EU has stood steadfast and banned the use of GM crops in Europe.
As rising demand continues to push up costs European farmers are likely to become increasingly frustrated as they face competition from food produced from GM grown crops, imported daily from outside the EU.
With the pressure on to feed the world where more than 800 million people are malnourished, the temptation to embrace GMfoods becomes more compelling, despite the serious reservations millions have about going down that road.
It is a fact that changing weather patterns are having a big impact on the cost of oil and on the price of grain.
Conflicting demands for grain as millions of tonnes are diverted to find alternative fuels to oil and gas are adding to the problems.
Expect the GM debate to hot up as rising prices and increasing demand put pressure on global resources.
In fact it already has. News broke over the weekend that the British government has been pumping millions into GM research although its public stance is that it is neutral on the issue.
Last year it backed £50 million (€71m) into GM research mainly on the production of soya, oilseed rape, maize and cotton against £1.5m put into research into organically grown foods.
