If Ireland is to meet its emissions reduction targets or “even come close to delivering on them”, an “enormous amount of the heavy lifting will fall to the agricultural sector”, says Minister of State for land use and biodiversity Pippa Hackett.

Speaking as she opened this week’s Biofarm 2022 conference, she said that this means “there is absolutely no doubt that this is a very challenging time for agriculture”.

However, she said that, in her view, it is also “hugely exciting for the sector”.

The minister called on farmers to adopt best practice for soil health, crop rotation, grazing and pasture management and to use plants and crops to enrich and improve soil biology.

"Hundreds" of farmers are applying to the Organic Farming Scheme, says Minister Pippa Hackett. \ Philip Doyle

“If agriculture was to prosper in a sustainable way into the future, and if the sector is to play its part in meeting our wider targets for 2030 and onwards to 2050, we will need all farmers and all farm types to get on board and adopt best practice,” she said.

Change 'thrust upon' farmers

Minister Hackett argued that change has been “thrust upon many farmers” due to the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year.

She suggested farmers have reduced fertiliser use this year and that, in many cases, this has been through “economic necessity, rather than by the way of curiosity, environmental or ecological concern, or indeed Government incentives”.

“Whatever the motivation by individual farmers to reduce these inputs, many farmers in Ireland in 2022 have seen that their grass continues to grow despite the reduction in chemical fertiliser and that it may well be possible to move towards a model that relies less on synthetic inputs.

“And Government certainly has a role to play here through incentives, such as supporting multi-species swards, red clover use, straw incorporation and a whole host of other schemes such as ACRES and organics, as well as through regulation. For example, the nitrates regulations, and the upcoming fertiliser regulations,” she said.

Organic farming

The minister called for a “mindset change” among farmers to meet climate goals and said this has already “been evident over the past number of months”.

She said there has been “an incredible level of interest at organic farm walks the length and breadth of the country” and that the latest tranche of the Organic Farming Scheme, which opened two weeks ago, “is already taking in hundreds of farmers”.

There has been huge interest in organic farm walks this year, says Minister Pippa Hackett. \ Clive Wasson

“This is the system change that is needed because tinkering around the edges of business as usual will no longer cut it,” she said.

The Biofarm 2022 conference, Ireland's ‘biological farming conference’, is organised by the Organic Skill Net and continues this week with various national and international speakers lined up to contribute on the challenges and opportunities facing the farm sector as it adapts to meet climate targets.

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