In the last couple of weeks it was interesting to see how a story originating from 2022 regarding a potential cull of 200,000 cows in the Republic of Ireland to meet 2030 climate change targets, gained traction around the globe.
On the one hand, it highlighted the power of social media, after Telsa CEO and owner of Twitter Elon Musk intervened, correctly pointing out that killing some cows won’t matter in the global efforts to reduce climate change.
But it also highlighted just how crazy such a policy would be, when it would effectively mean some other country with a less carbon efficient production system, would have to fill the gap created by Ireland.
Outside of the UK, Ireland, and to a lesser extent, New Zealand, no other major beef or dairy producing country is talking about cutting cows to meet climate change targets. Perhaps that will change, but for now it simply isn’t on the agenda – hence why the story from Ireland received so much global attention. People think we are all mad.
Yet in NI, we are actually a step ahead when it comes to a potential cull of livestock, with the UK climate change committee (CCC), the body which advises government on climate commitments, setting out in March of this year what NI must do to achieve net zero.
Initially the CCC had suggested NI needs to achieve an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as part of the UK achieving net zero by that date.
But this was ignored by most NI politicians who pressed ahead with net zero in local legislation.
‘Radical actions’
To achieve that is practically impossible, with “radical actions” set out by the CCC that include halving of livestock numbers by 2050, and in the interim by 2030, sheep numbers cut 18%, beef down 17% and dairy numbers cut 22%.
That effectively equates to over 300,000 fewer cattle in NI by 2030, and nearly 380,000 fewer sheep. I wonder what Elon Musk makes of that?
Read more
Climate law taking NI Ag back 50 years
Carbon audit linked to new payments
In the last couple of weeks it was interesting to see how a story originating from 2022 regarding a potential cull of 200,000 cows in the Republic of Ireland to meet 2030 climate change targets, gained traction around the globe.
On the one hand, it highlighted the power of social media, after Telsa CEO and owner of Twitter Elon Musk intervened, correctly pointing out that killing some cows won’t matter in the global efforts to reduce climate change.
But it also highlighted just how crazy such a policy would be, when it would effectively mean some other country with a less carbon efficient production system, would have to fill the gap created by Ireland.
Outside of the UK, Ireland, and to a lesser extent, New Zealand, no other major beef or dairy producing country is talking about cutting cows to meet climate change targets. Perhaps that will change, but for now it simply isn’t on the agenda – hence why the story from Ireland received so much global attention. People think we are all mad.
Yet in NI, we are actually a step ahead when it comes to a potential cull of livestock, with the UK climate change committee (CCC), the body which advises government on climate commitments, setting out in March of this year what NI must do to achieve net zero.
Initially the CCC had suggested NI needs to achieve an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as part of the UK achieving net zero by that date.
But this was ignored by most NI politicians who pressed ahead with net zero in local legislation.
‘Radical actions’
To achieve that is practically impossible, with “radical actions” set out by the CCC that include halving of livestock numbers by 2050, and in the interim by 2030, sheep numbers cut 18%, beef down 17% and dairy numbers cut 22%.
That effectively equates to over 300,000 fewer cattle in NI by 2030, and nearly 380,000 fewer sheep. I wonder what Elon Musk makes of that?
Read more
Climate law taking NI Ag back 50 years
Carbon audit linked to new payments
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