A livestock cull of 30%, rewetting of 300,000ha of land and a massive increase in afforestation would be required in order for Ireland to reach a net carbon target by 2050, a draft report funded by the EPA has suggested.

The stark scenario is one of a number of scenarios studied by researchers at the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), of which only handful would reach the target based on current land use evidence and climate change trends.

The Irish Farmers Journal met with James Moran and Eamon Haughey from ATU on Tuesday to find out more about the report, which they maintain was taken out of context.