Farmers will be waiting until mid-September “at the earliest” to find out what concrete measures the Department of Agriculture will propose to the farming sector stakeholders of the Food Vision beef and sheep group to reduce emissions from the drystock sector.

Farm groups have indicated to the Irish Farmers Journal that the interim report of the sustainability group will not be published before mid-September, when it is expected that the Department’s initial recommendations will be put forward.

Farmer representatives have also reiterated that any real negotiations on such actions cannot take place until a sectoral target is set for agriculture, as the range of measures that separate the 22% and 30% reductions in emissions are so vast.

The group is due to meet this Thursday, when farm organisations will be provided with the opportunity to lay out their thoughts on the pathways to reducing beef sector emissions, and will not meet again until September.

So far, the stakeholder meetings have heard “nothing that hasn’t already been said before” from Teagasc on emissions reductions, with a 45- to 90-day reduction in age at slaughter and lower chemical nitrogen usage emerging as the two most frequently discussed emissions reduction measures, according to those who spoke with the Irish Farmers Journal.