Talks are under way at Stormont to find a compromise between two climate change bills which are currently making their way through the NI Assembly.

A private member’s bill brought forward by Green Party leader Clare Bailey aims to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, while a separate bill from DAERA Minister Edwin Poots aims to cut emissions by at least 82% by 2050.

The Green Party bill previously had the support of all the main political parties except the DUP.

This is too important an issue for politicians to attempt to score political points

However, there appears to be a growing appetite at Stormont for more realistic targets after MLAs who supported the private member’s bill received an angry reaction from farmers.

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie has now said his party will support legislation which includes an 82% cut in carbon emissions by 2050. “The best result is if agreement can be reached on one amalgamated bill. This is too important an issue for politicians to attempt to score political points,” he said.

A spokesperson for Sinn Féin remained non-committal on the matter, but they did not rule out supporting an amalgamated bill going forward. “I believe there may be discussions between the drafters of both bills, and I will await their outcome,” the Sinn Féin spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Farmer frustrations intensified last month when independent analysis by consultancy firm KPMG found that reaching net zero by 2045 could require an 86% reduction in cattle and sheep numbers on NI farms.

It would still mean significant change for NI farmers

The headline target in the DAERA bill is based on recommendations from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), an expert group which advises the UK government on climate policy.

It would still mean significant change for NI farmers, with CCC analysis suggesting that dairy and meat consumption would need to fall by up to 35% by 2050, so a similar drop in output from local farms would likely be expected.