The core role of farming will remain the production of food, even as Government targets move towards farm diversification, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue told the Energy and Farm Diversification Show in Gurteen on Thursday.

“The primary role of farmers is food production.

“That is something that is going to be even more important in the years ahead than it has been with a growing population and also because it’s becoming more challenging for many climate vulnerable parts of the world to produce food,” he said.

Opportunities

However, the minister maintains that plans to increase the proportion of energy coming from renewable sources will present “more opportunities” for farmers to boost their income.

“It’s about giving farmers options and as many options as possible to maximise their income from their farm as well and to be as productive as possible in relation to how farms are used.”

Confidence

IFA president Francie Gorman stated that farmers will not readily opt to diversify away from food production if they do not have confidence that the supports pledged to them will be kept.

“You need certainty down the road.

“If you are going to diversify into energy or whatever in the morning, you need certainty that that support is going to be there,” Gorman commented.

Referencing the proposed postponement of the Straw Incorporation Measure for this year, the IFA president said “that undermines farmers’ confidence in taking on any measures to diversify if in the morning, that could be gone”.