The Government will allocate €1.5 billion from the carbon tax to a REPS-2 programme to encourage farmers to operate in a greener and most sustainable way.
Speaking at Irish Farmers Association AGM yesterday (28 January), the Taoiseach discussed the challenges of the Climate Change crisis for the industry.
Micheal Martin said agriculture is entering a decade of changes and farmers have a critical role to play regarding increased afforestation and carbon sequestration.
Speaking about the decision to allocate €1.5 billion to a REPS-2 programme, Mr Martin added: “This will impact how we manage our breeding programmes, how we apply chemical fertiliser nutrients, and how we apply organic manures back to the land.”
Irish farmers were urged to embrace the Climate Change challenges and protect the Irish family farm for generations to come.
Mr Martin praised the Ag Climatise roadmap that was launched last month and said it provides clarity on the sort of practical measures farmers are being asked to implement on their farms so start making a difference to emissions.
He said the roadmap would need to evolve over time, given the scale of the climate action challenge facing Ireland and the rest of the world.
“Over time, I think the sorts of changes proposed within the Ag Climatise roadmap will be transformative for Irish agriculture, and help set us apart on the global stage,” Mr Martin added.
In the longer term, Mr Martin said the agri-food sector will need to transition to become climate neutral along with other sectors of the Irish economy by 2050.
“The agriculture sector is the backbone of the rural economy and the Government wants to work to map out a sustainable and prosperous future in the sector – supplying the food which the world needs, while meeting our shared environmental goals,” concluded Mr Martin.
Additionally, Irish farmers were commended by the Taoiseach for keeping supply chains operating during an extremely difficult time.
LSL News.