Working together for nature

WHILE many farmers and indeed business owners will no doubt be glad that the Climate Change Bill has been put on ice until after the forthcoming general election, no one could accuse the Irish state of being soft on eco issues.

People from non-farming backgrounds (myself included) often make the mistake of presuming that farming as an industry is in some strange way in competition with the natural world.

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it only stands to reason that the farmer is the person in society who has most to lose from any damage being done to the land. And for those who might think that the farmer takes a short-term view of the environment, just remember that the overwhelming majority of Irish farms are family-owned. The reality is that Irish farmers take a very long-term view of the environment.