Government urged to support agriculture and land use sectors in taking climate action

Climate Change Advisory Council noted the agriculture sector is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 34.3% of Ireland’s emissions in 2023

Council has also recommended that Government urgently complete the Land Use Review and implement policies that align with long-term climate and biodiversity objectives.

The Government needs to "urgently support" and incentivise a rapid uptake of cost-effective farming measures to reduce agricultural emissions, the Climate Change Advisory Council has warned.

Publishing its annual review of Agriculture and Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) on Tuesday, the council stressed that the agriculture sector is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 34.3% of Ireland’s emissions in 2023. The LULUCF sector is a net source of emissions in Ireland, accounting for an additional 9.3% of total national emissions, it added.