The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has criticised the apparent lack of coverage given to emissions associated with rising numbers of airline passengers in comparison with the focus put on the farming sector’s emissions.
The association’s president Pat McCormack called out what he claimed was a jump of 9% in Ryanair’s reporting of passenger footfall relative to pre-pandemic levels, which he said received a reaction from policymakers that was “bordering on indifference”.
“Farmers and anyone interested in the economic, social and environmental welfare of rural Ireland will be very struck by the way today’s announcement by Ryanair of massively increased passenger numbers – and therefore massively increased air emissions – was greeted with an indifference that bordered on approval,” commented McCormack.
“Literally, and at the same time, politicians are apparently locked in intensive debate about whether we go past the just-about doable 22% cut in agricultural emissions and go into the impossible and completely destructive rates beyond that.
“I’ve a question for everyone: is food as important as air travel? Because if it is, then we would want to start making policy and setting targets on that basis,” he asked.
The ICMSA chief’s remarks come as the airline announced that it carried some 45m passengers in the second quarter of this year and as farmers are still awaiting a decision by Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan on the sectoral emissions reduction target facing agriculture for 2030.
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