The political party has proposed a new green certification process for Irish agricultural products in its manifesto published on Friday. This label will apply to all Irish agricultural products that have reached the standard, they said, and will be strongly marketed abroad.
“In a very competitive market, we understand the strength of Irish produce lies in its clean, high-quality brand. We will take steps to protect and strongly trade from this brand, through a new green certification process,” it says in the manifesto.
The party also says it wants to enhance the continued viability of the family farm “by encouraging greater participation in agricultural co-operatives, thereby achieving more efficient uses of resources, allowing for larger-scale capital investment and better equipping farmers to compete.”
Clean energy generation
The party will “tackle” the increasing threats to the incomes of small-scale family farms by providing supports for farmers who wish to increase the microgenerating capacity of their farms.
Supports for small-scale wind, solar and other forms of clean energy generation will be provided for by the party.
“We will also encourage wide-scale participation in the GLAS scheme,” it says.
Biomass
The party says it will also provide extra incentives for the planting of trees for longer-term carbon sequestration and for the development of sustainable wood products and biomass.
“We will continue other existing supports for afforestation, and will work to develop ambitious targets to 2030 for woodland coverage, including a vital concurrent target for woodland conservation and sequestration,” the manifesto states.
Climate change and extreme weather events present as serious a threat to farmers’ livelihoods as everyone else’s, perhaps more, the party says.
“By encouraging new farm practices, such as biomass and renewable electricity generation, we can allow for new income supports to farmers as well as tackling harmful emissions.”
Read more
Biomass could provide Irish farmers with ‘diversity of income’
Election 2016: The rural and farming issues in Donegal
Full coverage: General election 2016
The political party has proposed a new green certification process for Irish agricultural products in its manifesto published on Friday. This label will apply to all Irish agricultural products that have reached the standard, they said, and will be strongly marketed abroad.
“In a very competitive market, we understand the strength of Irish produce lies in its clean, high-quality brand. We will take steps to protect and strongly trade from this brand, through a new green certification process,” it says in the manifesto.
The party also says it wants to enhance the continued viability of the family farm “by encouraging greater participation in agricultural co-operatives, thereby achieving more efficient uses of resources, allowing for larger-scale capital investment and better equipping farmers to compete.”
Clean energy generation
The party will “tackle” the increasing threats to the incomes of small-scale family farms by providing supports for farmers who wish to increase the microgenerating capacity of their farms.
Supports for small-scale wind, solar and other forms of clean energy generation will be provided for by the party.
“We will also encourage wide-scale participation in the GLAS scheme,” it says.
Biomass
The party says it will also provide extra incentives for the planting of trees for longer-term carbon sequestration and for the development of sustainable wood products and biomass.
“We will continue other existing supports for afforestation, and will work to develop ambitious targets to 2030 for woodland coverage, including a vital concurrent target for woodland conservation and sequestration,” the manifesto states.
Climate change and extreme weather events present as serious a threat to farmers’ livelihoods as everyone else’s, perhaps more, the party says.
“By encouraging new farm practices, such as biomass and renewable electricity generation, we can allow for new income supports to farmers as well as tackling harmful emissions.”
Read more
Biomass could provide Irish farmers with ‘diversity of income’
Election 2016: The rural and farming issues in Donegal
Full coverage: General election 2016
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