DEAR SIR:

At an excellent IFA climate seminar in Dublin last week, Prof John Fitzgerald continued to advocate his obsession with major cuts to the national livestock herd in response to climate change. This policy, which comes from the Government’s Climate Advisory Council, has recommended a reduction in the suckler cow herd of over 50% and a change of land use to forestry.

This unscientific and lazy approach to climate action is simply just populist.

The Teagasc sustainability report, published last year, confirms the positive climate credentials of the Irish suckler herd, with emission per kg of output falling year on year.

The science shows that the improvements from breeding are real, measurable, permanent and cumulative

Not alone does the Climate Advisory Council Report advocate the demise of the suckler cow herd, which is essential to sustainable climate change solutions, the report is also wrong in its negative view on the environmentally based suckler schemes of the Beef Data Genomic Programme (BDGP) and the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP).

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) estimates that by 2030 the BDGP will deliver carbon efficiencies through genetic gain which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14% in the suckler herd. This alone is in excess of the climate ask to reduce GHGs in the suckler sector.

The science shows that the improvements from breeding are real, measurable, permanent and cumulative.

It’s time the populism stopped

There is no economic or environmental logic to a policy which proposes to cut our suckler herd and replace sustainable beef production in Ireland with imports from South America, produced on the back of the destruction of the Amazon rainforests, a climate change disaster.

It’s time the populism stopped. The populism must be replaced with factual, scientific-based evidence and genuine climate action focused on supporting our livestock sector, family farms and rural communities.

If consumers want to have a say on sustainable beef, food production and climate change, they need to support Irish and EU beef producers.