It was announced on 1 May that energy emissions have fallen to the lowest level in 30 years, according to the SEAI. This is, in anyone’s language, great news – we are on the right road.

If only we would stop at the headlines, then all would be rosy in the garden.

Once we dig a bit deeper, we see a different story. The reductions that we saw are as a result of a 12-fold increase in imported electricity.

Emissions from imported electricity are not counted in Ireland’s carbon budget, as they are counted in the country of origin.

Let’s look at some more statistics.

In 2023, Ireland used 1.36bn litres of jet kerosene. This is up 12.7% from the previous year and represents the highest annual demand for air travel ever.

Incidentally, jet kerosene, if used for commercial flying, is exempt from motor oil tax.

What has this to do with farming and, in particular, the case of young farmers? It has everything to do with it.

We greet the news that emissions from the production of electricity are down. They are down in this country but are not down worldwide. We have merely exported our emissions problems to other countries.

Last year, a kite was flown in relation to a cull of our national dairy herd of approximately 65,000 head per annum over three years. This was greeted in different ways by different farming organisations.

From the perspective of Macra and our young farmer members, we were vehemently against any move that made it more difficult for young farmers to enter the industry.

Thankfully, sense prevailed and, recently, the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue announced that any suggestions of a dairy cull are off the table.

To quote Sully from the film Miracle on the Hudson, it’s time to get real here. Do we want to make changes that will positively affect our emissions, or are we happy with claiming great victories in our emissions that are not successes in any sense of the word?

Looking at the SCSI/Teagasc Agricultural Land Market Review and Outlook Report 2024, both purchase and rental prices are continuing to rise much faster than inflation.

Land is now the preserve of existing farmers and institutional investors. There is little or no room for our young men and women who want to farm.

Instead, they will add to the 1.36bn litres of jet kerosene on their way to Australia.

Our agricultural emissions will continue to decrease as we will have few farms left. Those that are left will not be family farms. We will be the good boys and girls of Europe with our decreasing agricultural emissions.

The food that we produce for 40m people each year, will be produced many thousands of kilometres away from us in farms; the scale of which is difficult to put into words.

The emissions from this production will not form part of Ireland’s inventory or part of the MACC curve. They will, however, end up in the same sky.

If there is truly an appetite for family farms in Ireland, can we not just admit that what we have been relying on for the last decade is not working? Our farming cohort is getting steadily older.