IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The newly published Agri-Food 2030 Strategy must set us on a path of transformation for a diverse and resilient food system in line with planetary boundaries.
This is the call from the Environmental Pillar, Ireland’s leading coalition of environmental groups, who reluctantly left the Strategy’s Committee in February after reading a draft final document. [1]
Karen Cielsielski, the co-ordinator of the Environmental Pillar and former representative on the Agri-Food 2030 Strategy Committee, said:
“We want to take our time going through this document over the coming days and fully analyse its proposals.
As the blueprint for the sector with the most significant impacts on biodiversity, water and climate, the stakes could quite literally not be higher for a robust and transformative new direction for agricultural policy in Ireland.
The draft Strategy we saw in February failed across the board when it came to addressing these impacts. Its commitments lacked a robust approach to meet climate and environmental objectives, and once again it let down small-scale farmers. [2]
The public have been crying out for a new, transformative approach to our dual climate and biodiversity crises, and the provisions in this document have to meet this moment.
The public have the right to information and to participate in shaping this strategy and we call on Government to make sure that the consultation process supports those rights.
We will study this new version of the strategy to see if any of our concerns have been addressed.”
ENDS
Notes:
[1] The full press release on the Environmental Pillar’s departure from the Agri-Food 2030 Strategy Committee can be found at: https://bit.ly/3tVxQc2
[2] The draft document enshrined the inadequate AgClimatise roadmap for the industry as a guiding light, which both the Environmental Pillar and other experts deemed completely insufficient following its publication: https://bit.ly/2VZ7Xsy
