Blueprint for sustainable farming

IRELAND can become a world leader in sustainable agriculture and food production by 2020 under an ambitious initiative proposed to the Government yesterday.

The Dublin-based Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) brought together leading experts from across the agri-food sector to prepare a strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of Irish agriculture in the coming decade.

From Farm to Fork – A Sustainability Enhancement Programme for Irish Agriculture is the result of this initiative which proposes measures for adoption on farms, in factories and in retail outlets.

It is an attempt to address the challenges that face the Irish agri-food sector up to 2020, including climate change and resource depletion.

The report points out that agriculture, responsible for 40% of “domestic sector” emissions, must contribute to the national target of a minimum 20% cut by 2020, while responding to a predicted increase in worldwide demand for food. It argues that these issues, if addressed proactively, can enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector up to 2020.

Senior figures from Irish agriculture, food processing and food retailing have worked with scientists and economists to identify practical measures to reduce the environmental impact at every stage of food production – from “farm” right through to “fork”.

The programme identifies measures that can be implemented on farm including those to displace fossil fuel-based fertilisers, earlier finishing times for beef cattle to reduce livestock methane emissions and earlier slurry application timing to reduce methane emissions from stored manure. Increasing forestry levels to sequester emissions and enhancing the sustainability of the food-processing sector are also recommended.

Recommendations for enhancing retail sustainability include increasing in-store energy efficiency, co-operating with producers to reduce packaging and carbon labelling for products.

Michael Dowling, former secretary general, Department of Agriculture and now head of agri-strategy at Allied Irish Bank, was chairman of the group’s steering committee.

He said the potential benefits to the Irish food sector of taking a proactive approach on sustainability might include building market position over the medium to long term and an enhancement of Ireland’s reputation.

IIEA senior researcher Joseph Curtin, who sat on the steering committee, said those involved in the project recognised the scale of the challenge and its huge importance to the country, but also emphasised the opportunity.