The stalemate on agreeing an emissions reduction target for the agriculture sector continues, with Government party leaders unable to reach consensus on Tuesday evening.

A meeting on the target for the sector between Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan took place on Tuesday.

However, the meeting finished with no conclusion. It is understood that talks will continue into the night on the issue.

It had been expected that there would be an agreement ahead of Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, with Government approving the target ahead of the summer break.

Government must agree an emissions reduction target somewhere between 22% and 30%, with the reduction to take place by 2030.

Go to the max

Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan has said that farmers will have to “go to the max” on their target and is looking for the target to be set at 30%. However, Minister McConalogue is looking for that target to be closer to 22%.

Minister Ryan told the Irish Farmers Journal last week that he believed the target would have to go to cabinet this Wednesday, while Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that he was “hoping to come to a conclusion soon”.

A KPMG report commissioned by the Irish Farmers Journal shows that a 30% reduction in emissions would blow a €3.8bn hole in the rural economy, result in over 50,000 job losses and result in a cut to the country’s cattle herd of between 18% and 22%.