Agriculture Industry

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 April 2023

Thursday, 20 April 2023

Questions (91)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

91. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he continues to monitor any potential erosion of the production capacity of Irish agriculture, with particular reference to the need to ensure increased output in the area given the degree to which Ireland's economy has depended upon the agrifood sector; the need to address climate change and emission issues, and at the same time avoid food shortages currently affecting many parts of the globe and resulting in starvation and famine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18532/23]

Oral answers (6 contributions)

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

This question relates to my favourite subject: the need to do more to reduce emissions and increase food production given the worldwide shortages of food in various markets and the likelihood of these affecting us in this country in the not-too-distant future. I ask that these two issues be specifically addressed in every way and every day possible.

Deputy Martin Heydon

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising this really important issue. He is dead right in that, as we face the challenge of combating the worst effects of climate change, we face competing demands. I am always struck by the UN sustainability goals, of which there are 17. One is about addressing climate change. The second one is about having zero hunger in the world by 2030. In the context of a growing global population, we need to produce more food to achieve that. Therefore, the question is how to meet the competing demands concerning land use and ensuring our food production systems produce fewer emissions while being able to produce more food to feed the growing world population. The answer is innovation. We have done this down through the years. We have more science, research and innovation in our food production systems, which are now so sophisticated, to ensure not only that we continue to produce food but also that we do so more sustainably.

That is at the heart of what we are doing with Irish farmers. We are supporting farmers to produce top-quality, safe, nutritious food more sustainably in the future. We are not stopping farmers from producing that food but making sure that when they do it, they do so with a lower emissions output and improved water quality trends and impact on biodiversity.

There will be opportunities for diversification for farmers in terms of using their farming enterprise to create alternative income from renewable energy. The role of producing food, be it cattle or sheep in their sheds, will continue to be the primary role of farmers but there is nothing to stop them making alternative income from solar panels on the roof of their sheds. We are looking to support this by removing the need for planning permission in that regard. If farmers make those changes, they will make them voluntarily because there is an economic return on them. What we are looking to do as a Department and Government is to make sure the supports are there for farmers to incentivise them to make that change while they continue to reduce the emissions profile from the top-quality food we produce in this country.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

I thank the Minister for that detailed reply. It goes without saying that the agrifood sector played a major role in economic recovery at a time when the country needed it. It also goes without saying that we need to do more in terms of climate change. The problem is that we do not know how much more and what effect this will have on the climate change issues we must address.

My emphasis would be on trying to ensure we can supply a similar food market as we have had in the past and not relate only to income but to food, which is a different aspect of the issue, and to try to ensure that we do not slow down dealing with climate issues to any great extent either. I believe the two can proceed together. It is a matter for innovation and science to do what we can in that area in the shortest time possible.

Deputy Martin Heydon

I am in complete agreement with Deputy Durkan on this point. When we talk about these competing factors, one thing sometimes gets lost in this debate. When we talk about food security, some people think food security is us just producing enough food for ourselves and do not worry about Ireland having to export all the food we export. This is not the right approach. Out of 113 countries, Ireland has been judged to be the second most food secure country in the world. This is not because we produce every bit of food in this island that we consume here ourselves. It is because our food supply chains around the world have become extremely sophisticated and highly integrated. Looking at the Department's ten-year strategy - Food Vision 2030 - we can see it takes a food systems approach to how we produce our food in the future. It is cognisant of our environmental obligations but it is also cognisant of sustainability in all its forms. This is the key point that sometimes gets missed. Sustainability is not just about environmental sustainability, as important as this is. It is also about economic sustainability for the farmer and the societal sustainability of the rural community in which he or she lives. This is why everything we do is about having a clear focus on that and making sure the economic return is there for the farmer to produce this.

Deputy Bernard J. Durkan

This is an important message to give at this time and I thank the Minister of State for it. We need to look at the extent to which other countries, including EU countries, are contributing in the same fashion as we are, for example, countries with similar populations and a similar dependency on the agrifood sector. I am not so sure every country is singing from the same hymn sheet, as we may see at a later stage, but, as the Minister of State rightly said, it is important to continue to meet the two headlines and objectives of equal status at the same time. It can be done and this needs to be illustrated to the farming community now because it has to plan for the future.

Deputy Martin Heydon

I thank the Deputy for giving us the opportunity to debate this important point in the House. They are not mutually exclusive points. I am in agreement with the Deputy that we can do this. This Government will support farmers to continue to produce safe, nutritious and top quality food - nutrient-dense food that is needed around the world for our growing population. We will support them to do that with a reducing emissions profile that is a more environmentally friendly way of producing that food into the future. However, we will also support them in terms of their incomes by making sure it remains economically viable for them to do so and for the rural communities in which they live. Our goal in Food Vision 2030 involves taking a food systems approach and being a world leader in sustainable food systems. Its aim is to grow the value of our exports even further. At present, exports of Irish agrifood and drink are worth €16 billion. We want to grow that to €21 billion but to do so in a way that differs from the past. We are not talking about doing that necessarily on quantity, where the hamster wheel for the farmer gets faster but he or she is not necessarily better off. We are focused on quality and the top quality markets that will give the greatest return because that is the type of food we are producing. Only by farmers being economically viable will we be in a position to support farmers to support our climate change targets.