Agri-food voices must be heard in public consultations
The Climate Action Bill is key to helping Ireland realise its national climate goals. Picture: David Creedon, Anzenberger.
Agri-food stakeholders have been advised to make their voices heard in public consultations which could have a significant bearing on the future of their industry.
Lawyers at the Mason Hayes & Curran business law firm said it is crucial that sectors like the food, agriculture and fishing industries are not only aware of national Climate Action Plan targets, but also actively contribute to the climate conversation, so the needs of industry are considered, and any barriers to and costs of compliance with Plan targets are minimised.
They said the plan is hailed as Ireland’s roadmap to a carbon neutral economy by 2050, and the Climate Bill now going through the Oireachtas will make it one of the main legal mechanisms for realising national climate goals.
Plan submissions can be made via the Government’s public consultation platform until next Tuesday, May 18.
Lawyers James Gallagher, Michaela Herron and Wendy Hederman also alerted agri-food stakeholders to the Agri-Food Strategy 2030 public consultation, saying the strategy will play a pivotal role in evolution of this central sector of the economy over the next decade.
He also pointed out that contributing to sustainability targets in this area will require carefully planned but decisive action.
This public consultation closes on June 15 next.
On the Climate Bill, the lawyers said much commentary has focused on the special economic and social role of agriculture in the revised section 4.
“However, the food, fisheries and agricultural sectors should beware of the detail, as the Bill also provides that the national Climate Action Plan will be a mechanism to deliver Ireland’s national climate objective, with the Interim Plan for 2021 already indicating that further strategic changes are in store for these industries.”
While the climate plan is being prepared, an interim plan will provide for food, fisheries and agriculture actions such as the 2030 agri-food strategy, measures to improve nitrogen and livestock efficiency, authorisation of feed additives to reduce biogenic methane, online tools for seafood processing efficiency, and a roadmap to halve food waste by 2030.
Implementing the actions will present major challenges, with concerns expressed by producers that new measures and regulations will add cost and affect incomes, said the lawyers.
They said the draft Agri-Food Strategy 2030, following on from Harvest 2020 and Food Wise 2025, seeks to position Ireland as an international leader in sustainable food systems.
But work on the strategy exposed sharp divisions between environmental groups and the agricultural sector.
The draft strategy includes a €21bn agri-food exports target for 2030 (compared to €13bn in 2020).
Its preparation has highlighted difficulty in reaching consensus for an agri-food sector that is environmentally sustainable in the long term, and economically sustainable for producers in the near to medium term.
“A stark reminder of the difficulty in resolving these goals came in the withdrawal of the representatives of various environmental groups from the Strategy Committee earlier in the year,” said the lawyers.
“Notwithstanding this setback, various organisations that work hand in hand with farmers to encourage environmental knowledge transfer such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Teagasc remain heavily involved in the drafting process”.
