The Government should “urgently” convene a national dialogue to look at land use, the Just Transition Commission of Ireland believes.

The dialogue should look to develop “a shared long-term vision for Irish agriculture, land use and thriving rural communities”.

It is the key recommendation in a report entitled Towards a Just Transition in Agriculture and Land Use.

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The commission contends that agriculture and land use “are at a pivotal moment”.

It states that “decisions taken over the coming years will have consequences for generations”, due to the growing impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, combined with major reforms of agricultural, land-use and environmental policy”.

The recommendations include:

  • Long-term, accessible and equitable funding mechanisms should be established for “climate action, nature restoration and generational land-use change.
  • Agricultural and land-use policies should “provide fair and adequate financial recognition for the delivery of climate, biodiversity and ecosystem benefits”.
  • Agricultural policies and support schemes should “recognise and support the diversity of active farming systems and rural livelihoods, including low-intensity farming and the provision of ecosystem services”.
  • A comprehensive strategy for generational renewal, including targeted supports for young farmers and measures to improve access to land for new entrants.
  • Gender equity should be prioritised.

    • A call for Government and stakeholders to work together to “strengthen market demand, develop routes to market and reduce barriers to diversification in agriculture” is also issued.

    Finally, the report calls for governance, regulatory and market frameworks to support a just transition through fair carbon farming arrangements, strengthened regulatory oversight, the use of public procurement, the development of co-operative models and enhanced local participation in food and land-use decision making.

    This report comes only two weeks after the Government’s own land use policy document was released. That was long on land use options, modelling and projections, but stopped way short of proposing prescriptive or prohibitive land use legislation.

    There wasn’t even a ranking of land use options by Government, which would leave any national dialogue with a lot of heavy lifting to do. The questions the Commission want to see discussed include:

  • How is land used and for what purpose?
  • How can land owners and land managers manage multiple competing demands?
  • How much land should be allocated for food production, forestry or renewable energy?
  • What types of food, and methods of food production are preferred?
  • Should 90% of the food produced here continue to be exported, and how much and what foods should be used to feed the domestic population?
  • How should land use without a direct commercial value such as bogs, ancient woodlands, and species rich grasslands be considered?
  • How can livelihoods be sustained on the land in rural communities in the context of an aging farmer population, increased costs of living and a shortage of housing?