Green Europe: What place for sustainable agriculture?
Channel: IIEA
Date: 2019-12-03

Addressing climate change and ensuring that our economies become ‘greener’ is going to require significant rebalancing and behavioural change from a political, industry and citizen perspective.

Increasingly, citizens are demanding this change. This has been evident across Europe and Ireland with support for green parties on the rise in the recent European Parliament and local elections. Through the climate marches, led mostly by younger people, societal pressure is building on policy-makers to incorporate actions to mitigate climate change into the wider political agenda. But this change can seem daunting and citizens need to be guided through this process of change.

While agriculture is a much more important aspect of rural life than just the jobs and livelihoods dependent on it, the agri-food sector is directly and indirectly responsible for one in ten Irish jobs. Apart from the transportation sector, few economic sectors will be as central to the green transition, or as affected by it, as the agri-food sector. Agriculture, however, accounts for over 30% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it the single largest contributor to total emissions.

How can the Irish Government and its EU partners reconcile smart and sustainable agriculture without jeopardising the sector’s competitiveness and the livelihoods that depend on it? Equally, how can the agricultural sector contribute to the Ireland’s and the EU’s ambitious emissions reductions targets while also guaranteeing sustainable food production?

The IIEA gathered an expert panel in Kilkenny to debate and discuss these issues with members of the public and local and regional stakeholders.

Speakers at this public debate include:

Pat Deering, Fine Gael TD for Carlow-Kilkenny & Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine;
Bobby Aylward, Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow-Kilkenny & Junior Spokesperson on Farming & Skills;
Dr Pippa Hackett, Green Party Senator & Spokesperson on Agriculture, Food, Forestry, Heritage & Animal Welfare;
Pat O’Keeffe, Director of Corporate Affairs, Glanbia, Ireland; and
Dr Frank O'Mara, Director of Research, Teagasc.
The discussion was moderated by Eimear Ni Bhraonáin, Presenter of KCLR Live.

Filmed on the 21st of November 2019