Ireland plays key role in assessing environmental impact of livestock

Ireland is at the forefront of a UN-led partnership to harmonise how the environmental performance of livestock is measured.

Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture are key players in the partnership led by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). A low-carbon food production system is becoming an increasingly important ecological concern, with meat consumption set to rise 73% and dairy up 58% by 2050.

FAO senior livestock policy officer Dr Pierre Gerber said: “We must establish a shared understanding of how to assess the environmental performance of livestock.