Climate agreement will not impact Irish agriculture - Kelly

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly has contended that the proposed new global climate change agreement will not impact on Irish agriculture.

He has asserted that Ireland is an environmentally friendly food producer. He also stressed the inclusion of reference to ‘food security’ in the text of the proposed agreement, which he said acknowledged the reality that food will have to be produced for a rising global population.

“Ireland is a very environmentally friendly producer of food [and] will continue to [be]. We will continuously reduce our emissions from the agricultural sector,” he said.

“Also, there has to be an acknowledgement that we have to produce food and produce it in an environmentally friendly way.”

Ireland will not meet the 2020 EU targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Commentators have said that the only way Ireland will meet the more stringent 2030 targets (they require a 40 per cent reduction in emissions) is to scale back the agricultural sector.

The new accord could impose even more rigorous requirements on Ireland.

Mr Kelly repeated the Taoiseach’s view that the 2020 targets that were set for Ireland were not realistic as they happened at a time of recession when Ireland could not invest in infrastructure.

Without reducing the national herd, current technology would only allow Irish agriculture emissions to reduce by less then 5 per cent. Ireland’s agricultural missions are very high compared to other EU states, comprising a third of all emissions.

Speaking to The Irish Times at the COP21 climate change summit in Le Bourget, Paris, Mr Kelly said he was confident an agreement could be reached within the next 24 hours.

He said: “The key issues have been crystallised from a European perspective. Transparency is a real issue, assuring us there is a level playing field.

“All other issues submerge into that. Finance is another issue but that is linked with transparency. I believe we have a deal in the next 24 hours. We want it to be the most ambitious deal we can deliver.”

Asked what he would like to see, Mr Kelly said: “We want to see strong reference to 1.5 degrees (the limit of global temperature increases) as opposed to 2 degrees.

“Also we’re very insistent that transparency is there.; that there is an equilibrium between developing countries and developed countries.

“Developed countries produce 65 per cent of emissions. Developing countries produce 35 per cent.

“Although we know it will take time for developing countries to scale up with regard to delivery. . . we want to see transparency in how they account for the emissions reductions we all want to see.”

Asked for his view of An Taisce’s argument that the beef sector should be wound down and replaced with forestry projects, he responded: “That is crazy analysis and does not add up to scrutiny. There is a demand for foodstuffs.

“Ireland is the best at what we do. We will continue to do that.

“The idea that Ireland is going to change its agriculture policy is frankly not sane, really.”

He said a a critical issue for Ireland is how it will migrate from the 2020 EU targets to the 2030 targets. He said the baseline for that target should be realistic.

Asked was Ireland comfortable with what might emerge in the next 24 hours he said: “It’s now down to a lot of bilateral discussions. At a European level and an Irish level we are very happy with where it is going.”