I was driving to the airport last Tuesday thinking to myself that my grandchildren will be learning about these times in school in years to come. Earlier I’d shared the stage in Dublin with Tánaiste Simon Coveney at the launch of the ifac 2019 Food & Agribusiness Report. Here I was interviewing our political number two at the coalface of one of modern history’s most fantastical events, Brexit.

Maybe later in life, my children might appreciate how close their dad was to all of this in terms of being charged with interviewing the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste at a crucial time in our history. Anyway, for 45 minutes, the Tánaiste gave us an in-depth commentary and summation the morning after the controversial proroguing of parliament at Westminster and just 24 hours on from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bumbling visit to Government buildings near to us.

It’s funny but it was pretty easy to spot the young farmers on the plane

Later that day, I was on a plane from Paris to Rennes going to the SPACE Agricultural Show, a sort of Brittany version of the Ploughing Championships. It’s funny but it was pretty easy to spot the young farmers on the plane. I mean this in the best way possible; but farmers have a certain look, a certain way which distinguishes them.

I just knew they were farmers going to SPACE. I was right. They were going to see the top-bred cattle in France compete for national rosettes.

One survey of French cattle farmers showed that 87% are concerned about climate change

In the press room at SPACE, I was flicking through the various press releases.

What jumped out at me was the huge focus on climate change. One survey of French cattle farmers showed that 87% are concerned about climate change, one third of them “very concerned” with 89% taking on-farm mitigating action such as improving feed efficiency, reducing fuel consumption and planting trees. I did nothing for the planet in taking two flights back home for the Agricultural Science Association annual conference in Kilkenny where, once again, “farming and the environment” was in focus.

There isn’t a farming conference I go to now where sustainability isn’t top of the agenda

Meeting the demands of the three pillars of sustainability; environment, economic and social were teased out with the general consensus being that while farming has to pull its weight in reducing emissions, it is our farmers as custodians of the countryside that will very much lead the way in tackling the climate emergency.

It seems that at home and abroad, climate change is very much the focus of attention and discussion at farming events. There isn’t a farming conference I go to now where sustainability isn’t top of the agenda. And it’s being discussed in a proactive, solution-driven manner.

Even at the launch of that ifac report by the Tánaiste, a comprehensive survey of SMEs in the food and agribusiness sphere, 74% of respondents said they are taking initiatives to reduce the impact on climate change. Agenda-driven critics of Irish food and farming may still not wish to believe it as they continue to put the boot in where the populist narrative has been painted of Irish farming as laggards. But there’s demonstrably proof plenty from these various conferences and reports that the agri food sector is seriously attempting to do more than the rest of us in trying to meet its obligations regarding climate action. Time will tell if it is enough.

Just a tad late?

It’s a pity the Rugby World Cup wasn’t started in 1986 instead of 1987, meaning there would have been a 2018 edition rather than the upcoming tournament.

Ireland were imperious last year, landing a Grand Slam, two wins in Australia and beating the All Blacks.

This year has been a shakier proposition, and we’ll just have to hope that the team we saw last year makes a timely return in Japan.