Ireland can reach the ambitious Food Harvest 2020 and environmental targets but the process will be an “ongoing challenge” according to a new land-use report which was carried out by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture.

In a comprehensive 129-page report launched today (Thursday), the Oireachtas agriculture committee said challenges lie ahead for farmers and policymakers in terms of reaching growth targets. The committee, which is chaired by Wicklow TD Andrew Doyle, spoke to a wide range of experts, including Teagasc, Bord na Móna, UCD, the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency to get their views on how Ireland can continue to expand its food production while working within environmental constraints.

Major challenge

“It is acknowledged that reaching our FH2020 targets while staying within our environmental limits will be a major challenge but that the experts with whom the Joint Committee have consulted with in public session consider that, with the requisite Government commitment and support from the farming community, this should be possible,” the report stated.

While there are a number of policy challenges and suggestions, the report states that there is work to be carried out on farms too.

“At farm level, increased use of high-technology plans and the importance of knowledge transfer to farmers through upskilling for all agricultural and environmental farm advisers was highlighted,” the report states.

“In addition, greater use of farmer discussion groups and demonstration farms were identified as key ways of increasing food production in a sustainable manner. On a higher national level, concepts such as sustainable intensification (SI) and offsetting (or land sharing) could be further assessed and put into practice where possible,” it added.

The report also sets out a number of “practical ways” in which farmers can increase food production while minimising environmental impacts including nutrient planning and “availing of best practice through participation in the BETTER farms programme”.