The weaponising of grain by Vladimir Putin and the deliberate blocking of food is absolutely appalling, Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union Maireád McGuinness has said.

Blocking food for people who need it as part of a war effort is "the worst of the worst" she told the Future of Europe event in the RDS on Friday, which was hosted by the Irish Farmers Journal.

Everything changed when Russia first began its invasion of Ukraine the Commissioner said, adding that "nobody envisaged a problem of this magnitude".

Climate

Commissioner McGuinness called for the phasing out of fossil fuels to reduce reliance on Russia, while also keeping the climate in mind.

"This war in one sense has exposed Europe's vulnerability to Russian fossil fuels and I say openly that the foundations of agriculture and industry are now shaky.

"One is because the direct supplies of Russian fossil fuels, but equally the need to phase out fossil fuels from all sectors due to climate," Commissioner McGuinness said.

Renewables

Europe needs to look at dramatically ramping up investment in renewable energy, she added.

"Member states need to find out where the blockages are.

Gas could be turned off

"We do need gas and nuclear and, indeed, perhaps if I was speaking to an audience in the '60s or '70s, I wouldn't use the word nuclear. But it's amazing to see how citizens would take a realistic approach to an energy mix," she said.

Energy rationing

She warned that it is extremely important in order to avoid energy rationing.

"Gas could be turned off and I think we are all aware of that possible reality," she said.

Policy changes

She said that it is important to give farmers ownership of policy changes.

"We need to acknowledge policy inconsistencies. A large group of farmers are frustrated and I acknowledge that," she said.

She said that a holistic approach is needed with regard to food production and that organic farming methods could be incorporated into conventional farming and use science.

Ticking boxes

The Commissioner also said that agri-environmental schemes can sometimes be a ticking-the-box exercise and that a lot of farmers are just in it for the payment.

"I’m trying to say to farmers that public policy has changed. If you don’t take account of nature, there are problems with soil, there are problems with water, there are problems with pesticides because they stop being effective," she said.