CCAC Report Puts it Up to Government on Climate Support for Farming – IFA
IFA President Francie Gorman has reacted to Climate Change Advisory Council report saying it reaffirms the IFA’s position that the Government need to provide more support for farmers.
Mr. Gorman said that farmers are committed to producing food in a sustainable way but that they must be supported to continue doing so.
‘Farmers are responding to the climate challenge, but they cannot be expected to pay for it out of their own pockets. They cannot be put in the red by going green,” he said.
“The Climate Fund announced by the Government in the last budget is an obvious way of funding the range of measures identified by the CCAC. The income pressures that are so evident in the last 12 months point to the importance of Government support to allow the sector to achieve its targets,” he said.
Commenting on the forestry sector, the IFA President said that many issues which were mishandled contributed to lower plantings.
“The Department of Agriculture has to re-build confidence among farmers if this is to be turned around,” he concluded.
