Phasing out headage payments to reduce the amount of methane being produced by cattle is one of the measures needed to reduce Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions, the workshop was told. The Government must act if Ireland is to achieve the emissions target signed at Kyoto, Mr Colm McCarthy of DKM Economic Consultants warned. Ireland should change the source of power production away from environmentally unattractive fuels, tax electricity and home heating more heavily and act on various transport measures, Mr McCarthy said. He was particularly concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion in cities.

Ireland has committed itself to having no more than 15 per cent increase in gas emissions between 1990 and 2010. However, that level of increase was reached last year and we are in danger of substantially exceeding the target, he noted.

Mr McCarthy is calling for the phasing out of headage in agriculture - methane emissions from cattle in Ireland are the highest per head in the EU, he said.