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IFA welcome Minister Coughlan's approach to climate change

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IFA Climate Change Project Team Chairman, Sean O'Leary has welcomed Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan�s recent comments made at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, regarding agriculture�s contribution to emissions reductions.

Mr. O�Leary said - �I concur with Minister Coughlan�s comments. If significant reductions in emissions were demanded from the agriculture sector, it would place enormous downward pressure on cattle numbers and have a damaging consequence for our rural community. Furthermore, reductions in emissions from agriculture may result in less commodities - such as beef and milk - being produced and would simply increase the carbon footprint by transferring production elsewhere. Clearly, such a proposal makes neither economic nor environmental sense at a time when it is estimated that global demand for food will increase by 50% within the next 20 years.�

The Climate Change Chairman added - �Agriculture has a definite role to play in the climate change debate and this includes growing carbon sequestering miscanthus, carbon neutral electricity production through anaerobic digestion, forestry planting and wind energy.�

Ireland�s post Kyoto objectives need to examine the sources from which greenhouse gas emissions are growing. These include big industries like ESB, CRH and Bord na Mona - who all received free Carbon Credits paid for by the taxpayer, while emissions from their sectors increased dramatically.

Sean O�Leary concluded - �Greenhouse gas emissions have grown by 25% in Ireland since 1990, led by the transport sector, which has increased by 163%. Emissions from the energy sector have increased by 32% and the industrial sector by 23%. Clearly, policy-makers have to tackle these growth areas if the fight against climate change is to succeed.

"Agricultural emissions have reduced by 3% over the same period. These reductions have occurred without any allocation to agriculture by the EPA of the carbon sink, which occurs in forestry and other land uses.�

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