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Irish agriculture has a special role to play in tackling climate change given its unique ability to capture or sequester carbon, Minister for Climate Change and the Environment Richard Bruton told farmers on Wednesday.
Speaking at Eamon Sheehan’s dairy farm in Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny, as part of the IFA’s Smart Farming farm walk, Minister Bruton told farmers that the sector had a unique role to play.
“Agriculture is in a unique position. By managing its resources, agriculture can not only reduce emissions but it can also create a store for carbon that can be of huge benefit,” said the minister.
“Agriculture is special because although livestock emit methane emissions, the sector also has the unique ability to sequester carbon,” he added.
Changes
Minister Bruton told farmers that the changes of a lifetime were needed to address climate change.
“Sadly, Ireland has made promises in the past but has not lived up to those commitments. We now have to take a serious look at ourselves to ensure we’re back on track by 2030,” he said.
“In many areas we have to make the changes of a lifetime. We’ve become so used to fossil fuels that radical changes will be needed. This will be no less challenging in agriculture,” added the minister.
A large turnout of farmers attended the IFA’s Smart Farming event in Co Kilkenny on Wednesday. The event included discussion on protected urea, low-emissions slurry spreading and biodiversity initiatives being taking by farmers in the Bride Project in Co Cork.
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