Ireland has one of the most environmentally friendly agriculture industries in the world.

It is time the Irish public supported farmers and the agriculture industry in much the same way which we triumph about our IT and tourism industries.

Ireland’s dairy, cattle and sheep farmers are our Googles and Facebooks, in that we produce a fantastic, efficient product. Our litres of milk and kg of beef and lamb which our cattle and sheep produce are among the most efficiently produced food products in the world.

Let’s throw some perspective on Ireland’s agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture accounts for 30% of Ireland’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Methane production from ruminants accounts for 50% of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and therefore 15% of total GHG emissions.

Reducing methane emissions from ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep poses the best opportunity to reduce agricultural emissions.

Reducing emissions

How do we reduce these emissions? Well, it is clear that methane emissions will increase as agricultural output increases, but what is important is to reduce methane emissions per unit of output, therefore producing milk, beef and lamb in as an environmentally friendly way as possible.

Farmers can and must reduce methane emissions by increasing efficiency on farm. A key efficiency which has been mooted occasionally is producing more young bulls, slaughtered at less than 16 months.

An even greater efficiency, which is applicable to dairy and suckler farmers, is calving heifers at two years of age. This is important as it can allow a cow to produce an extra calf and a years’ more milk in its lifetime. Certain targets must be reached to allow this to happen. It’s very important to reach target weights for these heifers – 60% of mature bodyweight at service and 90% at calving.

Ireland’s worldwide image is of lush green pasture and clear, blue skies (for a week in July!) represent the image of Ireland from abroad and this image must be protected and cherished. We have our competitive advantage - let’s keep it.