Agriculture and the emissions row: how did we get here?

Agriculture emissions have far less to do with individual farmers than with the enormous agri-food industry which emerged due to Irish and EU policies, writes Patrick Bresnihan

Within the agri-food system, individual farmers not only tend to benefit the least, but also wield the least power; and yet, they continue to be identified as the ones most responsible for climate change. File picture: Andy Gibson

The recent focus on the importance of reducing agricultural emissions has prompted passionate debate on all sides. 

There has been a lot of talk about farmers and rural Ireland being scapegoated for necessary action on climate change, but whose interests are actually being protected when farmers and rural Ireland are invoked in these debates?