Agriculture Can Achieve Emissions Reduction Target
In a press release by the IFA on Tuesday 28th May 2024, Environment chair John Murphy said that “if all additional measures set out in Climate Action Plan 2024 are implemented, agriculture can achieve our 25% emissions reduction target for 2030.” This statement was sparked by a press release by the EPA which showed that if the additional measures set out in the Climate Action Plan were effectively implemented “emissions from agriculture will reduce by 18%.”
According to this press release additional measures that were set out by the Climate Action Plan were not included in the emissions projections report and this data is required to accurately account for a “potential 1.5 million tonnes equivalent reduction due to planned diversification measures.”
Mr. Murphy is hopeful that within the next year these diversification measures will be included in the emissions report data and a clearer picture of the “potential of the sector” will be developed. He also made it clear that farmers are impacting the efforts to reduce emissions by continually introducing new strategies for the reduction of emissions but to achieve targets “we need whole of sector implementation.”
The Environment chair also stated that farmers should receive adequate and accurate support to help them in this transitional phase “particularly around diversification measures” He also mentioned the importance of implementing feed additives and of ensuring access to “sufficient supplies of protected urea” which he said will be vital for the agricultural sector if it is to meet its 2030 targets.
