Greens at odds with coalition partners over reducing herd size to help climate

Goat's Path, Bantry, Co Cork. Opposition parties have described the Climate Bill as a betrayal of the climate movement, saying it defeats the purpose of the Green Party being in power. Picture: David Creedon 

The Green Party is at odds with its Coalition partners over moves to reduce the size of Ireland's national herd to combat climate change. 

There was confusion at the launch of the Government’s new Climate Bill when Green Party leader Eamon Ryan advocated “less cattle” but “more income for farmers”.

Mr Ryan said: “The key thing is the income. I think less cattle but higher income is something that the Irish farming community will buy into.

“I would argue for a whole lot of farmers, particularly beef farmers. The average beef farming income is €13,000. That's not a liveable income,” he said.

However, Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar both said their position is based on “stabilising the herd number” not reducing it, as advocated by the minister for agriculture. 

“The policy was stabilisation of the existing herd. That was the announcement by the minister on that. But I do agree that we do need to increase incomes for the farming community. And we do need to broaden the range of income-generating activity on farms. I've been a long-standing believer in that,” the Taoiseach said.

Mr Varadkar said a mature discussion is needed with farmers about stabilising the herd but acknowledged that it's not possible to reduce emissions without reducing the size of the herd.

The new bill is seeking to deliver a position of net-zero emissions no later than 2050, and a 51% reduction in emissions by the end of this decade.

It will also provide the framework for Ireland to meet its international and EU climate commitments and to become a leader rather than a laggard in addressing climate change.

The final version of the Climate Bill embeds the process of setting legally binding and ambitious emissions-reductions targets.

However, Mr Ryan made clear there will not be a situation whereby the Government or companies will be facing fines if they miss their targets.

The bill provides that the first two five-year carbon budgets proposed by the Climate Change Advisory Council should equate to a total reduction of 51% over the period to 2030, relative to a baseline of 2018.

However, it is up to the Government to decide on the trajectories for different sectors.

Opposition parties have described the bill as a betrayal of the climate movement, saying it defeats the purpose of the Green Party being in power.

Parties have slammed the omission of a ban on liquified natural gas.

Sinn Féin and People Before Profit TDs have hit out at the lack of ambition in the bill.

People Before Profit said the emissions reductions targets expected in the bill seem to delay the process and goes against the science. It also said the omission of a ban on the importation of liquified natural gas betrays the climate movement.