An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said it is “not our policy to reduce the size of the national herd”.“If we’re saying we’re not going to reduce the herd, then we have to do everything else to reduce emissions.
An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said it is “not our policy to reduce the size of the national herd”.
“If we’re saying we’re not going to reduce the herd, then we have to do everything else to reduce emissions.
“We have to almost prove twice as hard that we’re going to do that in order to convince people that that’s the right policy – that we can bring down agricultural emissions without having to reduce the size of herd,” he told the IFA AGM on Tuesday evening.
He said that while Fine Gael will not cut the size of the herd, it does mean that Ireland has “to drive ahead” with the implementation of what’s in the Teagasc report on the Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC).
Government with the Greens
The IFA president Tim Cullinan said that Green party leader Eamon Ryan told the IFA AGM that he would cut the national herd. He then asked An Taoiseach if he would go into Government on the back of that comment.
“I’ll be very frank with you. I want to lead the next Government and I want Fine Gael to be the next Government. In order to form a coalition Government you have to have to be willing to make compromises.
“Any politician that’s telling you that they won’t compromise on anything in their manifesto or they have all these red lines they’re not really telling you the truth.
“In the negotiations it’s very dangerous to set out your red lines because then the people you negotiate with don’t think you got a good deal until you soften some of your red lines, it’s actually not a smart strategy at all.
“What I would be saying to anybody in those talks, if I’m in a position to be in those talks to form the next Government, is the objective is surely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve biodiversity. That’s the objective and that’s what we should try and achieve. If we can achieve that without reducing the herd, that’s what we’ll do,” he said.
REPS scheme
An Taoiseach also mentioned the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS).
“I know that talking to farmers, a kind of REPS scheme seems to be a lot more popular than GLAS, so perhaps a new scheme which looks a bit like that would be a good thing to have,” he said. The response from the IFA AGM to this comment was applause.
Many farmers have called for a REPS-type scheme to be brought back into operation over the last number of years.
He also highlighted the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) in his address to the AGM.
“Our ambition, as part of the next CAP, is to ensure there is a new scheme like BDGP, but one that is perhaps more user-friendly.”
Review of succession scheme
He said that Fine Gael is very much fighting for the future of the family farming model.
“In recent years we’ve introduced taxation measures to encourage land mobility and generational renewal.
“We’ve invested over €180m in support for young farmers, the next step for us is to review the operation of our succession farm partnership scheme. That provides as you know a €25,000 tax credit over five years to assist with transfer of farms within a partnership structure.
“But we want to review that policy now with a view to adjusting it to support livestock farmers with off-farm income. We know it’s worked well, particularly for people in the dairy sector, but not so well for farmers who rely on off-farm income,” he said.
Mercosur
On Mercosur, An Taoiseach said it is a matter of great concern to farmers, especially the beef sector.
“If necessary Ireland stands ready to vote against the agreement, if there’s is not a level playing field for famers, if the environment is not fully protected and if the South American countries don’t honour the Paris Accord.
“We will spare no effort in ensuring Ireland’s interests are prioritised and that this sector is protected,” he said.
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