Government plans to remove or amend the 32 million annual passenger cap on Dublin Airport has been lambasted by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).

The farm body claimed the move illustrated the “glaring disparity” between the Government’s treatment of carbon emissions from aviation and those from farming.

It also made a mockery of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan, claimed ICMSA president Denis Drennan.

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Last week, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien got approval from cabinet to proceed with legislation to remove the airport’s passenger cap.

“The idea that Ireland has legislated to reduce food-related emissions by 25% while simultaneously swerving its own passenger cap at its major airport and trying to increase passenger numbers and related emissions by a similar percentage is beyond satire,” said Drennan.

'Comedy'

“This isn’t coherent policy, this is comedy,” the ICMSA president added.

Drennan pointed out that a recent ruling by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) could add a further 5,000 flights to Dublin Airport’s schedule next summer.

“What happened the Climate Action Plan targets? What happened the overriding need to reduce emissions?” Drennan asked.

“Remember as well that we have already legislated for a 25% reduction in farming and agri emissions by 2030 and then get your head around the reality that we still don’t even calculate the emissions connected with flights into and out of the state – still less incorporate those into estimating our carbon footprint.”

Drennan contrasted the Government’s approach on aviation with the far tougher line taken on the farm sector.

“Whatever the outcome of this process - and the experts say legal challenges are inevitable – the Irish State’s attitude to emissions and the aim of the Climate Action Plan has been made look ridiculous,” the ICMSA leader said.

“For all the high-minded talk about climate action and the imperative of reducing emissions, when it came to standing up to airline executives and applying the most basic level of consistency across the issue of emissions, not alone did the Government go missing, it seems to be actively working against overall reductions of emissions,” he maintained.