The Republic of Ireland should urge farmers to give up on breeding 30% of their own cattle livestock. More specifically, the Climate Change Advisory Council claims that Irish farmers had better cast off 500,000 to one million and a half units. In addition, livestock and farming industry should also reduce its meat production and shift its core manufacturing towards the dairy farming industry: in other words, they should focus on cows, rather than breeding steers for beef. As reported by The Independent, the climate council also suggested that Ireland should take action rapidly, in a timely manner.
Climate changes
Ireland has been planning to reduce considerably, in 2020, emissions of gas. The aim, announced by the government, was to reach -20% (compared to 2005); for the time being, one year ahead of deadline, emissions have actually dropped by around 5%. That is why the Climate Change Advisory Council advised the Irish government, in order to gear up, to focus their efforts on the livestock and farming industry: although there is no real correlation between farm animals and climate changes, people often put things together.
What is wrong?
Is everything all right? Not really. While speaking to The Independent, Trevor Donnellan, president of Teagasc (a semi-state authority, in Ireland, providing research, advisory and education in agriculture), replied to the Climate Change Advisory Council and commented on their suggestions. He stressed his scepticism, while emphasizing, most of all, the effects of such measures in terms of emissions and sustainability. For instance, if the bulk of production were shifted towards the dairy farming industry, “volumes of consumption of nitrogen per hectare would triple”, compared to current standards. At this point, do you really believe that removing meat will be enough to solve the problem?
