Our agriculture must not be stifled by GHG reduction

ENVIRONMENT Minister Phil Hogan’s announcement that a climate change bill is not a priority, signalled a major change from the policy of his predecessor John Gormley.

He also said he would not set sectoral targets for emissions reductions — more good news for farmers, who already knew that the 20% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) intended for 2020 was to be revisited by the EU and governments.

The 20% reduction would have required the Government to purchase carbon credits from other countries, or pay very heavy penalties for exceeding GHG allowances.