Mary Robinson is one of Ireland’s iconic figures – she has been prominent in Irish life for the best part of 50 years and since her retirement from the presidency, she has truly been a world figure so her views matter and I have little doubt that she has a real influence on many people. The other morning I went to a hugely attended event where Mrs Robinson was the guest speaker.

Surely she must realise that the west of Ireland communities that live there produce a lamb from land that is intrinsically unsuitable for any other agricultural enterprise

I had expected that she would refer to the Climate Justice initiative which was one of the bodies set up to draw attention to the changes climate change and global warming may have on vulnerable countries and communities. Nobody would question the motives behind the establishment of such a body but I would have expected a measured approach when talking about the country and region she knows best.

Baffling

To declare that she no longer eats west of Ireland lamb because of the linkage of red meat with climate change I found baffling and disappointing. Mrs Robinson is from Mayo, having been brought up in Ballina and, as she said herself, with her mother a native of Malin in Donegal.

To link such a system with the climate change debate is simply wrong

Surely she must realise that the west of Ireland communities that live there produce a lamb from land that is intrinsically unsuitable for any other agricultural enterprise – forestry, dairying or tillage and even suckling can find it tough going. The grass that grows on those hills is uniquely able to produce highly nutritious, palatable protein and yet, somebody of the stature of Mrs Robinson decries the very production that is ecologically and environmentally so beneficial.

To link such a system with the climate change debate is simply wrong, especially when the European Commission and other specialist bodies consistently draw attention to the benefits of grass-based meat production.

But maybe in fact Mrs Robinson has done us a real favour because she has pointed out in a way that few could, just how badly the Irish red meat sector has put forward the case for its existence.

I was glad to see that at the recent agricultural science conference that Bord Bia’s Tara McCarthy set out the plans for a joint industry initiative to put forward the benefits to both human health and the economy of red meat consumption and production.

The sooner these plans come to fruition, the better or we will find the core base to our industry corroding before our eyes.