Official EU figures confirm Ireland’s claims of efficient livestock farming.
The EU Commission says our methane emissions (from enteric fermentation) per unit of ruminants are the lowest in the EU-27.
Ireland’s 2.0 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per livestock unit compares to a range of 2.2t to 4.1t across all other member states.
The figures are in the “report card” sent recently by the Commission, making recommendations to each member state on how to frame their strategic plan for the reformed Common Agricultural Policy which will start in 2023.
The “report card” shows how near or far each country is from achieving European Green Deal targets such as reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 55% by 2030, and becoming climate neutral by 2050.
Member States will implement the future CAP with “CAP strategic plans” at national level. These plans must address countries’ specific needs and EU-level objectives, while contributing to Green Deal ambitions.
The Commission says Ireland has advantages for achieving future CAP objectives. These include the highest prevalence of grassland in the EU, very large areas of carbon-rich peat soils, and a well-established network of biodiversity-rich hedgerows. However, Ireland’s GHG emissions from farming are on the rise (including those from grassland and peatland). Ireland is missing targets for cutting ammonia emissions; nutrient discharges into water are a major problem; and many habitats and species are suffering, according to the Commission.
Uptake of organic farming is very low.
The Commission recommends improved nutrient management as a key change, to reduce polluting nutrient losses and mitigate climate change, while improving air and water quality and reducing pressure on biodiversity.
“It is also a matter of urgency to halt the serious deterioration of Ireland’s peatlands, large stores of carbon which are also important for biodiversity,” said the Commission.
“Increasing coverage of trees, very low in Ireland, has substantial potential for carbon sequestration, energy production, and the support of ecosystems, provided the species mix is improved.
“By taking the steps outlined above and other, additional steps, Ireland should improve the conservation status of its grassland and heathland habitats.”
The Commission also said Ireland should tackle availability of fodder for livestock, to prepare for new weather patterns due to climate change.
These recommendations must be taken into account by the Government in devising our CAP strategic plan, along with the overall CAP objectives of fair income for farmers, increased competitiveness, rebalancing power in the food chain, climate change action, environmental care, preserving landscapes and biodiversity, generational renewal, vibrant rural areas, and protecting food and health quality.
The new CAP will include for the first time mandatory eco-schemes, with annual payments to reward farmers for going further in sustainable agricultural practices.
Examples of eco-schemes are agro-forestry, with a set density of trees, cared for in a way that maximises the benefit for birds and insects.
In agro-ecology eco-schemes, farmers will be paid from 2023 to use natural substances as plant protection products, or do organic farming.
In carbon sequestration eco-schemes, farmers will reduce cultivation such as ploughing (conservation agriculture), rewet drained peatland, preserve grassland, and install high diversity landscape features.
The Commission is likely to put Ireland under strong pressure to increase organic farming, as our “report card” shows we are the joint third lowest with Bulgaria at 2.6% of utilised agricultural area, compared to the 8% EU-27 average.
We are rated fourth worst for share of agricultural area under high diversity landscape, at only 1%; other member states have 4.6-10%.
But no other member state beats Ireland’s zero-rating for the share of groundwater monitoring stations with nitrate greater than 50mg/litre, which averages 13.3% across the EU-27, and reaches 70.7% in Malta, 28% in Germany, 21.5% in Spain, 18.7% in Bulgaria, 17.9% in Portugal, 16.6% in Denmark, and 15.9% in Belgium.
Unfortunately, Ireland’s water quality is tarnished by our 20 kg per hectare of utilised agricultural area gross phosphorus balance, exceeded only in Cyprus and Malta. However, the latest complete data set available from Eurostat is for 2014, and phosphorous fertiliser usage by Irish farmers has fallen since then.
The Commission says our CAP plan will have to contribute to the Green Deal target of 50% reduction of nutrient losses, while maintaining soil fertility. This target will reduce EU use of fertilisers at least 20% by 2030.
The pressure will be more on Ireland’s phosphorous use than nitrogen. Our gross nitrogen balance in kg per hectare of utilised agricultural area is mid-table at 38kg, compared to 46kg on average, and far behind heavy nitrogen users such as Belgium (138kg) and the Netherlands (167kg).
We will also be under pressure to make a CAP plan to reduce our agricultural GHG emissions, which fell only 0.2% since 1990, according to the Commission.
Only two member states did worse, Spain increasing emissions from agriculture by 6.5%, and Cyprus by 4.3%. These emissions fell 20% in the EU-27 since 1990.
From 2005 to 2018, the EU-27 cut emissions from agriculture only 0.1%, on average. This included a 4.4% increase in Ireland, but eight member states did worse, including Bulgaria with a 26% increase.
EU-27 emissions from agriculture are 396.8m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, to which Ireland contributes 19.6m tonnes.
The share from enteric fermentation in ruminants is 11.4 in Ireland, of the EU-27’s 173.1 total.
Despite Ireland’s lowest methane emissions per unit of ruminants in the EU-27, our total emissions from agriculture per unit of agricultural land are 4.4t, says the Commission, exceeded only in Belgium (7.4t), and the Netherlands (10.3t).
We will be asked to make big changes for the Green Deal’s 55% GHG emissions reduction target by 2030.
It isn’t all bad news in the Commission’s recommendations.
It says Ireland’s 89.8% of rural households with next generation access broadband is the sixth highest of the EU-27 (100% by 2025 is an EU 2030 target, the average is only 56.4%).
And Ireland reduced chemical pesticide risk 31% from 2011 to 2018, compared to an EU average reduction of 17%.
The Commission rates Ireland eighth best for sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture, at 46 compared to an EU-27 reference value of 118.3, in 2018.
