The 10th annual Irish Farmers Journal Agribusiness report in association with KPMG, included with this week’s paper, takes a close look at the rural economy driven by Ireland’s agriculture industry.

By focusing on four towns in the Republic (Ballyhaunis, Cavan, Charleville and Enniscorthy) and one in Northern Ireland (Cookstown), the report contains a strong geographic spread of the rural economy on the island.

Furthermore, by breaking down the agricultural economy by sectoral contribution, such a dairy-dominated Charleville, big beef in Ballyhaunis, or everything in Enniscorthy, the report clearly shows that agriculture in Ireland is not a homogeneous blob and different areas have different specialities and need different supports.

This year’s report includes a survey, and the responses to those questions did show one place where almost everyone is the same. Ninety-six per cent of those who answered said they see rising input costs as one of the biggest challenges they are facing at the moment.

It is news to nobody that the so-called three fs (fertiliser, feed and fuel prices) have rapidly risen this year. But it is certainly notable that almost every survey respondent cited it as a problem, meaning nobody has escaped.

While there are hopes that the era of rapidly rising prices might soon come to an end, there is less likely to be a quick solution to the second-biggest concern – adapting to climate change and meeting sustainability targets.

Fifty-six per cent of respondents put it among their key challenges facing the sector. The challenges posed by climate change and the policy responses to it are very real for agriculture. At the COP 27 climate conference this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin reminded us that Ireland’s 2030 climate reduction targets are enshrined in law.

How the country’s agriculture industry will reach its 25% reduction target, however, remains unclear. No wonder people are concerned.