This is a subscriber-only article
Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has indicated that the sectoral emissions reduction target for agriculture could be agreed on by cabinet, should a decision on a specific figure between 22% and 30% be reached in his engagement with Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue set to take place tomorrow.
Minister Ryan was asked by the Irish Farmers Journal if an announcement on the targets was to be expected this week, to which he answered: “I think it’d have to go to cabinet next Wednesday. Everything has to be signed off by cabinet.”
“I think there is so much work to do, we should get on with a lot of it,” he said.
The minister failed to concede any further indication on the progress of the negotiations, but stated that farmers making business plans should take account of the general direction of emissions policy and consumer sentiment, in his comments to the Irish Farmers Journal.
Minister Ryan spoke on a panel at an energy in agriculture event at Gurteen College, along with Teagasc director Frank O’Mara, Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan and chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council Marie Donnelly.
Farm energy
Cullinan told the Irish Farmers Journal that the IFA did not take any assurances from Minister Ryan on board until the exact sectoral target had been announced.
He commented that any target other than 22% would not be accepted by the IFA and that an economic impact assessment would need to be conducted before farmers could sign up to the target.
“The Minister has been taking a different view to the other two parties in Government,” the IFA president said.
“I was trying to make that clear point to him this morning. You know, we as farmers have accepted now and will work to reduce emissions by 22% and that is a huge challenge and we know from the KPMG report if we are looking at 30% that is €4bn,” stated Cullinan.
When asked whether the actions that are already being taken by farmers to improve environmental sustainability, he responded: “I don’t see this being recognised at the moment.”
SHARING OPTIONS: