Stephen Cadogan: GHG per euro of agricultural output not a very good idea
Our 1kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per kg of milk is bettered only in Austria, but only by a very small margin.
That compares with an EU average of about 1.4kg, or 1.7kg in Hungary and Romania, 1.6kg in Denmark, and 1.4kg in the Netherlands.
However, recent research commissioned by the European Parliament indicated that Ireland had the highest level of GHG emissions per euro of agricultural output in the 28 EU member states.
Who should farmers listen to — the scientists in Teagasc or the politicians in the European Parliament?
In the science of GHG emissions, the statistics can be expressed in different ways. Officially, GHG emissions are reported on an absolute basis (total emissions associated with each livestock unit or kg of fertiliser, etc).
Expressing GHG emissions per euro of agricultural output does not seem a very good idea, bearing in mind that the average farmgate EU milk price has varied from 25c to 40c per litre since 2009, and the farmgate EU beef price has varied from about €3 to €4.30 per kg deadweight.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture commented on the European Parliament research findings, saying they should not be interpreted to mean we are the least climate efficient.
An Taisce said the European Parliament document (Research for AGRI Committee: Policy support for productivity vs sustainability in EU agriculture: Towards viable farming and green growth) showed Italy did best, achieving €1,700 of agricultural output per tonne of emissions, and Ireland did worst, with less than €400 of output.
However, no mention is made of Italian farmers getting 37c per litre for milk, compared to 24c in Ireland, over the past year, and Italian farmers getting 410c per kg for beef in March, compared to Ireland’s 385c.
An Taisce recommends a phased Irish withdrawal from beef farming, because it accounts for “a grossly disproportionate amount of our total national emissions”.
It correctly points out that our beef farming survives only due to EU payments.
An Taisce was responding to a strong IFA statement which accused environmental NGOs of undermining the agri-food sector.
IFA’s Thomas Cooney said the European Parliament’s data excluded greenhouse gases stored in grassland and cropland.
He called for acknowledgement of Ireland’s productivity efficiencies, and said the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has conclusively demonstrated Ireland’s leading position in sustainable food production.
In contrast, he said, other sectors such as transport have allowed emissions to spiral out of control.
The war of words between An Taisce and IFA came as no surprise, because so much is at stake.
On one hand, the FoodWise 2025 plan proposes an 85% increase in food and drink export value, a 65% increase in primary production value, and 23,000 extra jobs.
On the other hand, the EU’s Climate and Energy Package sets a 20% GHG reduction target for Ireland by 2020.
Nationally, emissions must be cut from our residential power consumption, transport, waste and agriculture (which has a huge 49% of these emissions). At the very least, statistics which will decide who cuts how much must be based on standardised statistics.
Then, each sector can play its part.
Farmers are already playing their part, with 24,000 taking part in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme, which is expected to achieve greenhouse gas savings from agriculture in the range of 65 to 300 kilotons of CO2 per year by 2020 (between 0.35 % and 1.6% of Ireland’s total agricultural emissions).
A system called the Carbon Navigator is helping all farmers reduce GHG emissions. There is scope to enhance grassland and cropland carbon sinks through optimal management, and we are planting forestry for carbon sequestration.
