Beef industry must consider alternatives if it is to remain in business
Whether they finalise a deal within the next two weeks or, as the US and some others hope, justbegin a process, is very unclear just now.
The EU has put forward a comprehensive plan to tackle the causes of global warming on a number of fronts, from reducing emissions to developing new technologies and helping developing countries to do likewise.
Ireland has supported the drive to cut back emissions and has, in fact, been among the most ambitious in the EU in setting itself targets to cut down on greenhouse gases.
Unfortunately the country could be more advanced in its green agenda if only the state had insisted on better energy-saving standards before the building boom of the last few years, and before so much money was put into roads rather than public transport.
Now it has to play catch-up, giving incentives to upgrade the housing stock at a time when credit is tight and the public purse is empty. However, the country has a problem that is unique to Ireland within the EU – methane emissions from the national cattle herd account for more than a quarter of greenhouse gases, three times the EU average.
This statistic is out of proportion of course to the 8% of jobs and a similar percentage of income from agriculture.
Cattle are one of the greatest obstacles to Ireland achieving the 20% cut in greenhouse emissions by 2020 to which the country has signed up.
At the same time food is becoming an increasingissue not just in Europe, but across the world as the global population is growing dramatically and climate change is reducing the amount of arable, food-producing land available.
Ireland getting rid of its dairy and beef herd and adopting other means of agriculture is not as simple as it might appear either since the rich grass lands store carbon, and ploughing them would release the gas.
However, the country is likely to be forced to face the issue as pressure grows on people to reduce their intake of red meat. The World Bank says it accounts for 51% of greenhouse gases while former Beatle and singer-songwriter Paul McCartney told a conference in the European Parliament during the week that they should encourage people to cut out meat one day a week.
His Meat-free Monday campaign is gaining support in many countries, especially as people consider the carbon footprint of what they eat.
In Sweden this information is being included on food labels, so that people can make a choice.
And anybody who thinks eating beef grown locally would be better than eating chicken flown from the other side of the world would be wrong.
The transport element adds very little compared to the gas producing cattle.
Many people are anxious to cut down on their contribution to global warming and are especially likely to do things that are simple and will not cost much – like reducing the amount of red meat they eat.
Ireland depends on exporting about 90% of its beef and any move to reduce its consumption must affect the industry.
It’s not going to be enough to say that the grassland absorbs carbon. The industry is going to have to come up with alternatives if it is to remain in business.
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