Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney got unexpected backing from a UK source this week for his stance on climate change and how Irish agriculture should respond.

Speaking at the most recent RDS/IIEA lecture on climate change and agriculture, Rob Bailey of the prestigious UK think-tank Chatham House, called for a general reduction in world beef and dairy production and consumption on the basis that carbon emissions from bovines were among the most important of any individual economic sector.

These were being ignored by policy makers, he said, and if current trends of increased consumption of beef and dairy products were going to be maintained, there would be an approximately 70% increase in carbon emissions from beef and dairy herds by 2050.

However, Bailey added that, from an Irish point of view, even if policies were to change in relation to beef and milk consumption, Ireland with its low carbon intensity of production should be able to increase its market share.

In his address, Bailey also called for bovine animals to first use pasture and crop residues as feedstuffs, rather than consuming increasing quantities of the world’s grain, as is presently the case.

The next major climate change governmental meeting is to take place this autumn in Paris, and it is likely that we will see some concerted decisions being taken by world governments, but agriculture is unlikely to feature significantly in the discussions at this stage.

However, the issue has not gone away and there are bound to be difficult negotiations at EU level between now and 2020.