There is just no avoiding it — Irish farming must change in response to biodiversity crisis

If Ireland is to reverse its plummetting level of biodiversity, the treadmill of intensive beef and dairy production cannot continue.

Almost 60% of our land is used for grassland — pasture, hay, silage, and rough grazing. Only 2% of the country has native woodland. File Picture: Larry Cummins

The country’s main farming body has expressed ‘serious concern’ about the report of the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss. 

The report includes, among its recommendations, a referendum to write environmental protection into the Constitution, a Government minister with a biodiversity brief, the drafting of a new statutory National Biodiversity Plan, and heavier penalties for environmental pollution.