The progress that farmers have made to date in terms of carbon sink must be recognised and rewarded.
Those are the words of leading economic analyst, Jim Power, who was commissioned by the IFA to conduct an independent assessment of the Irish beef industry.
He warned that if this is not done, there is a danger that the “strong” progress that has been made to-date could be lost.
In the report, he stated that it is essential that beef farmers are adequately rewarded for the environmental progress that they are being forced to make.
“Farmers need to get assistance with the production of genetic merit animal production in order to achieve scientifically-based reductions in GHGs.”
“The debate around the environmental impact of beef farming needs to become more realistic and ideologically-driven agendas need to be resisted.” the report added.
“The developing science around the contribution of methane to global warming potential needs to be given full consideration in future policy discussions around the environmental impact of beef production,” he concluded.
Photo by Keegan Houser
