Beef Plan Movement chair, Eamon Corley believes that in order for any carbon calculation within the industry to be correct, the basic principles of mathematics must apply.

“If they don’t, the figures just won’t add up and false results will be produced," he tells Agriland.

According to Corley, this is true of the carbon calculator that Teagasc is proposing to use.

He explained:

“It will produce figures that will, on one hand, damage livelihoods and, on the other hand, let the real culprits off the hook.

“By this we mean a decision has to be made about whether the carbon dioxide equivalent (C0₂e) emission figures stay with the country where the product is produced or do they stay with the country where the product is consumed.

"And then beef produced in Ireland and used in Saudi Arabia has carbon emissions counted in Ireland also."

Corley went on to point out that the people representing Ireland, where this was agreed, let the country down badly.

“This needs to be corrected now before any calculations are carried out,” he stressed.

"There is an addition button to add up emissions from all the different components of beef farming.

Corley continued:

“The science is already there to do this and it should be done now.

He concluded:

“The methane breaks down to carbon dioxide which is captured by grass.

“By leaving them out, the calculation becomes worthless and not fit for purpose.”