Climate Change

Just after watching climate debate on Prime Time. Jayus could we have got anyone worse than Barry Cowen. Yer one the lecturer was probably wondering how this gobshite got elected. Surely to christ the industry can get someone to properly convey the arguments in favour of Irish agriculture.

https://www.rte.ie/player/series/prime-time/SI0000000825?epguid=IH000413019

"Yer one the lecturer" incorrectly said Co. Laois instead of Co. Offaly twice when referring to Conor McMorrow's report.

No sectors...its bullshit

Robert Coleman from Cork was on ear to the ground a couple of years ago. I thought he was very articulate.

Thomas duffy ,harold kingston etc are the only ones suoiable to represent farmers at the moment even tim cullinan is just not good enough debating with these tree huggers

The problem as I see it is Ireland is suited to growing grass and keeping cattle ( we export most ) other countries are suited to growing other crops ( bananas, oranges etc. ) Consumers and supermarkets have driven down prices so each country specializes in smaller number of goods ( that they do cheaper than anyone else ) and we trade these goods around the world. What the greens are suggesting is that we farm less cattle and diversify into other crops not taking into account more energy and costs needed here to grow crops that need hot weather ect. Even though global warming is just that ( global ) they seem to suggest each country tackle its own emissions without considering knockon effects ( ie more cattle elsewhere ) or indeed if some countries are doing anything.

I know the greens don't know much about farming but there's big differences in land as well.

There's a big difference in the land around the ploughing championships compared to the west.

Then there's some of the small fields you'd hardly turn a combine harvester in the size of them now.

And you can see why SF are shutting up and letting them duke it out.

Let the government parties get their digs in while remaining an option to either side during the next election.

cynical? Very! But also politically clever

I hope farmers as a group give up their differences, wake up and demand fair play here....

You want changes then the truth must be told, not half truths and massaged statistics

My own mother was starting to believe the guff she heard out of a spokesperson on prime time the other evening.....she said other industries have already taken up to 60% cuts....not one person asked her, what were these industries etc etc

It's shocking the stuff that's allowed be said without question/verification .....

But will they cop on and work together...once they cripple you theres no coming back from it....it always appears to be thin end of the wedge stuff with them

When it's shown to be complete and utter destructive nonsense maybe decades down the line that won't be any comfort to people whose lives were destroyed .....

Never interrupt your enemies when they're making a mistake and whoever you ask they'll tell you at least one of them is making a mistake.

The whole emissions thing is going to become a money making racket pay to pollute.

The plant based/ vegan thing is big business too. I don't see much pushing of fresh veggies going on. It's all factory made processed food. Hardly the most environmentally friendly option if that's the driver

I'm a reasonable man, I'm too media shy for Joe Duffy can I ask honest question I dont know the answers to, in no particular order

Soya milk v dairy milk, what's the environment impact of producing soya milk including transport into the country v our own dairy sectors impact, I'd include other meat and dairy based substitutes in that too.

If we agree to the targets tomorrow, what is the impact on production?? What I'm getting at here is how do we feed the population ?? Both of this county and feck let's be daysent about it, the world.

The rathgar crowd won't like the price of a ribeye in aldi after this ?? Simple supply and demand economics, there are other socio economic groups that will be effected too like.

Fuel is only going to go up in both the short and long term, I don't know exactly what containers ships run on but I imagine it to be petroleum based, do they emit pollution ??

Cheap flight anyone ?? Tourism can't be touched not even mentioned heard the ica or icmsa said it???

All the greens are doing is pushing an urban rural divide, what the people need to realise is less emissions mean less production which means, ding, ding, ding, less food and more expensive food. This point is NOT being made..

Average handy lads like me will eventually vote healy rae or sinn fein... out of pure sickness or is it thickness

Last but not least my bit of turn for my mother's 40 year old stanley, 3.0 petrol range rover with no hitch ??? Business class flights .. I wonder.

A lot of the soy in animal feed is GM, it reminds me of the talk of chlorinated chicken in the US during brexit. I don't know if there's anything wrong for human consumption but currently I don't think the EU allow it.

Soybean meal is different to Soy milk though, I'd imagine it uses a lot of water and energy to produce. A comparison with dairy is valid. I don't have the figures though.

There's going to be a lot of energy used processing plant based materials if we eliminate animals. Big companies will make sure of that. We won't all be eating more fresh legumes (beans, lentils etc.) They'll all be in processed food.

Reducing animal production here will only increase production elsewhere but we're probably negligible on the world stage. The problem is a lot of land here is nor viable for tillage. Likely upshot would be we import even more food and the government would have to find new industries to replace the jobs for people currently indirectly employed by agriculture (think the vets secretary, the workers down the co-op store, the meat factory workers).

There's a lot of talk about emissions but not what making cuts means in real life.

But it’s not beef cattle they are after it’s dairy isn’t it? Saw some show on TV3 last night and John Gibbons was on it - and he specifically called out dairy above all others. They want to reduce dairy, and expand tillage & horticulture. (For now anyways, it could well be dairy first, then beef)

But if food inflation continues the way it is - will the market dictate? If this climate change continues as is - with more droughts. Will farm gate prices continue to increase and so potentially less animals could bring in the same profit?

Maybe the big question here - will this continued food inflation, and more money to the primary producer be allowed to happen?

The livestock feed imports is a pretty big stick to beat the livestock sector with here alright - that and the fact that it was reported this week that Ireland imports 80% of its food which isn't a great look either for a country thats meant to have a world leading, Green agri sector. Now obviously we can't grow stuff like Bananas or grapes but the amount of imported stables like Potatoes, veg,Apples, raspberries etc. is problematic both from an emissions point of view and the rising cost of same due to energy prices and logistic issues. This all needs some serious market corrections/intervention which can only be done on a Government/EU level to achieve better self sufficiency here and across the EU. It also calls into question successive government food/farming strategies that focused on a narrow range of bulk agri commodities for export markets which pushed farmers into intensification and specialization with the inevitable fall outs we see via rising input costs, decreasing margins and the need to reign in pollution of all types.

After all the huffing and puffing that figure was probably the form horse - depending on your perspective it ain't too bad given what other sectors are meant to be carrying. The EU/Gov now need to put their money where there mouth is to fulfill all the talk about a "just transition"