If production from Irish farms falls as a result of achieving agriculture’s 25% emission reduction target, it “wouldn’t be a very successful outcome,” Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said.

The Fine Gael leader told the Irish Farmers Journal at the Tullamore Show that to meet climate targets, a reduction in the cattle herd “won’t be mandatory”. He said the Government has “made that clear” and “nobody is going to be required to reduce their herd”.

“What we don’t want to see is production fall because the world needs food, it needs milk, it needs beef, it needs wool, it needs everything that farmers produce,” he said.

Varadkar said that the Government is trying to “get the emissions down and maintain production at current levels as much as possible.” He said that means embracing new farming techniques and technologies.

Diversify income

“I can’t say to you for sure that herd numbers mightn’t fall, but if that does happen, it will be because farmers make decisions to do things, not because the Government forced them to.

“The main thing we want to do is make sure that farmers have multiple sources of income and reliable income, because there is a lot of volatility in prices, whether it’s the prices farmers get for product or input prices.

“I think one of the best ways to sustain agriculture into the future is to ensure that we have a whole set of income sources,” said the Tánaiste.

He said such alternative farm income includes “micro-generation” with “big opportunities” for solar, wind, anaerobic digestion, carbon farming and agri-tourism.

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