The agri-food sector “can and must” make urgent improvements to its environmental footprint which in turn could create "additional income" opportunities for farmers, Minister of State, Pippa Hackett has said.

Speaking at the Food Vision 2030 conference in Dublin today (Thursday, October 13) the Minister who has responsibility for land use and biodiversity, said as the predominant land use in Ireland, agriculture exerts ”significant pressure" on water and air quality.

Food Vision 2030 is a ten-year strategy for the Irish agri-food sector, which sets out the key role agriculture has to play in “protecting” Ireland’s climate and environment.

Minister Hackett told conference delegates that she believes targets set by government for agriculture - of a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to a 2018 baseline - are “challenging but achievable” for the agri-food sector.

She said:

But Minister Hackett also said that there was a clear recognition of the role that agriculture "can and will play " in "decarbonising" the country's energy system.

She said this in turn would create significant opportunities such as Anaerobic Digestion (AD) , solar and forestry, which could provide opportunities for farmers to boost their income.

She said that the Food Vision 2030 strategy recognised that grass-based livestock production would continue to dominate agri-food output in Ireland and also outlined the role the government’s new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan plan will play.  

Minister Hackett added: “Our new CAP Strategic Pan will support farmers to transition to more sustainable practices and offer opportunities for diversification,  while also supporting farm incomes.

But she is confident that the strategy set out in Food Vision 2030 will ultimately ensure a “strong future” for the agri-food sector.

Meanwhile Minister of State, Martin Heydon, who has responsibility for research and development and new market development, also told the conference that Ireland’s agri-food sector should never take its "world leading" reputation for granted.

The Minister said the sector had to keep up with changing demands and also had to focus on growing export value over volume.

He highlighted that Food Vision 2030 clearly acknowledged that the UK market is likely to become more competitive:

The Minister said that Ireland needed to build on its reputation for providing "safe, sustainable, and high-quality food" to maintain its market position in the UK.