EU has ‘no intention’ of forcing Irish farmers to reduce herd size

The European Commission “has no intention of forcing Irish farmers to reduce their herd size”, EU agriculture commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has said.

The EU recognises the benefits of the Irish grass-based model for the environment, animal welfare and the resilience of the bloc’s food production, he told members of the Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA) national council on Monday.

“The commission will support Irish farmers to embrace all possibilities to cut [carbon] emissions and improve their environmental performance.”

Mr Wojciechowski acknowledged that many large intensive farms in Europe would have to reduce emissions under the industrial emissions directive, but said this would only affect 7 per cent of Irish farms.

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He said there were, however, three areas where more needed to be done by Irish farmers: “The status of many farmland habitats can be improved. The forestry and organic sectors must be also developed into more accessible business options for farmers. Emissions from the livestock sector is the other obvious problem.”

He accepted that any discussion of environmental sustainability must begin by acknowledging what is already being done. “Farmers in Ireland, and across the EU, already follow some of the highest global standards for sustainability...I understand the efforts you make to comply with these rules, as well as the additional efforts that many of you take on.”

Mr Wojciechowski accepted there was a case for reviewing EU farm-to-fork and green deal targets in light of current threats to food security related to the Ukraine war.

On social sustainability, Mr Wojciechowski said some 97 per cent of Irish farms were family run but that to strengthen “this backbone of rural Ireland”, generational renewal must be a priority. Consequently, the share of Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) support for young farmers needed to be increased “to improve access to finance, and to make rural areas more attractive places to live”. Improved access to basic services, including the roll-out of rural broadband, were crucial, he said.

Ireland’s national CAP plan must also include strong economic incentives for environmental practices, such as eco-schemes and agri-environmental schemes, he said.

“Eco-schemes can support carbon farming practices like agroforestry, creating a new source of income based on the climate benefits provided.”

Market demand for grass-fed dairy and meat products in Europe was strong, which was important as sustainable farming had to be profitable, he said.

“In European shops Irish products are advertised on packages with green fields and open air: this is your selling point; sustainability is your selling point. Around the world, Ireland is known as the green island of Europe. This must also be the calling card of your food and farming,” he said.

The commissioner paid tribute to the response of Irish farmers to recent crises. “In our time of war and pandemic, your production of dairy and meat products — and also of plant products — has made an essential contribution to global food security.”

IFA president Tim Cullinan acknowledged the importance of environmental sustainability, but warned that the next generation of young farmers would not take over farms unless they were viable and profitable.

He highlighted concerns about the rising cost of fertiliser, feed and fuel

and said farmers across Europe needed support to offset hyperinflation on some inputs. Farms could play their part in scaling up renewable energy, but this could not be funded from the CAP, he said.

Mr Cullinan said trade deals, such as that proposed between the EU and a bloc of South American countries, were a threat to the farming sector. “Mercosur has been on ice but it’s time to put it in the bin,” he said. “For farmers here, Brexit is still a threat. We cannot give access to the single market to countries that don’t operate to the same standards.”