This is a subscriber-only article
The deliberations of the Citizens’ Assembly at the weekend, much like the ongoing discussion in the EU on the future of glyphosate, is further evidence that society and mainstream media are now driven by what has popular appeal rather than fact-based argument – or, indeed, science.
It is a trend that is becoming increasingly commonplace in politics and policy formation. In the US, a promise to “make America great again” propelled Donald Trump to the most powerful job in the world.
Similarly, a slogan on the side of a bus in the UK suggesting a vote for Brexit would yield an extra £350m per week for the health service tipped the balance in favour of the leave campaign.
Yet the Citizens’ Assembly believes that Ireland should step back from this means of generating food
In both instances, the awkward questions as to how Donald Trump would make America great again or how leaving the EU would put an extra £350m per week into the NHS were never answered.
In Ireland, the agricultural sector has traditionally excelled in ensuring the role of the sector is properly understood in society.
Urban and rural dwellers alike have had an appreciation of what the sector delivered both economically and environmentally, at home and on the international stage.
However, the events of last week show that this may no longer be the case.
Get on with the job
We can easily pick holes in the process surrounding the Citizens’ Assembly, lament the lack of balance and rigour applied to some of the content within the presentations, discredit the vote on the basis that it was a view expressed by just 75 people who had limited experience of the subject matter, or even that the framing of some of the questions predetermined the outcome.
Nevertheless, it would be unwise for agriculture to ignore just how easily members of our society could be convinced that curtailing our ambition to grow one of the most environmentally sustainable food production models in the world could somehow be advantageous to the environment and our economy.
The way this view was so quickly amplified across national media shows what needs to be done.
In the current political environment, it would be foolhardy to believe that Government thinking will not be influenced by the narrative that higher environmental taxes and restrictions on our national suckler herd is the direction in which future policy should be heading.
The question now is how we should respond. The challenges of climate change have long been recognised within the agricultural sector and therefore there is no need for any kneejerk reaction.
But the farming and agri-food lobby does need to look at how we better position agriculture in what is a highly complex and emotive debate.
We cannot ignore how the consumer-based lobby organisations derive their mandate and power base from having mass general appeal and the political influence they demand from this.
Educate the consumer
Given our export focus, we have naturally concentrated our efforts on convincing a European and increasingly an international consumer of our environmental and sustainability credentials. But has this come at the expense of convincing our own society, who should be our best brand ambassadors?
In the current environment, convincing society as to the positive attributes of our industry – at national and EU level – will be essential in strengthening our level of political engagement and key to not only ensuring the political appetite remains to support the sector through CAP but also that the interests of the sector are protected in ongoing trade negotiations and from various NGOs.
It is becoming clear that it is no longer enough for farmers to simply comply with the most stringent regulation system of food production in the world if it isn’t reflected in public opinion.
Why not ban all food imports?
Ireland has the most natural environment in the world for beef and dairy production, thanks to our access to water and abundance of grass. The only way it can be converted into food for humans is through grazing by ruminants who in turn produce beef or dairy products.
Yet the Citizens’ Assembly believes that Ireland should step back from this means of generating food.
One wonders if the same group had been asked whether or not we should ban food imports from outside the EU, where the focus on the environment and welfare isn’t anything like what it is for Irish farmers, what the answer would have been.
Along with CAP, Brexit and international trade deals, another battle ahead is to transform the public mindset. We need to clearly communicate that in the context of climate change, agriculture is committed to working towards being part of the solution.
Within existing production systems, farmers are embracing climate-smart technologies that are positioning the sector as a world leader in the production of food from an environmentally sustainable production base.
Of course, the commitment doesn’t end there, with farmers also seeing the potential of the sector to take a much more active role in the generation of renewable energy sources.
However, for this to be realised, the appetite at farm level needs to be matched by a commitment from Government to properly understand the potential of agriculture to fit into the bio-economy.
Such a move would undoubtedly help shift public perception towards seeing agriculture as part of the solution to climate change, rather than part of the problem.
Listen: should farmers fear the citizens assembly?
SHARING OPTIONS: