A forum designed to examine climate friendly practices and policies in agriculture has been launched by the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) and the RDS.

The two organisations aim to present a report to the Government in March 2016 after they host a series of consultations, seminars and surveys.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said it was important to address climate issues associated with farming.

“This is a really serious issue and any government or policy maker who ignores it is a fool,” he said.

Mr Coveney said there was a need to start a domestic debate that was intelligent, science-based and that understood the realities and challenges faced by Irish agriculture.

The farming sector accounts for about 40 per cent of Ireland’s total carbon emissions.

The country must seek to increase its competitiveness while reducing its environmental footprint, Mr Coveney said.

“In this regard, we believe that sustainable intensification through climate smart agriculture is an intelligent approach to how farmers should produce, as we seek to meet the growing global demand for food.”

Global alliance

Ireland is the latest signatory to a global alliance consisting of 18 other governments, NGOs and multinational companies for climate smart agriculture, which launched last September.

In December, world leaders will gather in Paris to agree a deal on climate change, under which all developed economies will be asked to take on further emissions reduction targets.

IIEA director general Tom Arnold, who is also the chairman of The Irish Times Trust, said: “Climate smart agriculture offers a triple win of increasing farm productivity and incomes, building resilience to the impacts of climate change and reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.