How we use our land is one of the most important decisions our representatives make. It has long-standing consequences for the climate, nature, and our water and air quality.
The newly drafted Agri-Food 2030 Strategy is a key blueprint for our land use and it comes at the most important crossroads our planet has ever faced.
We need this Strategy to drastically reduce the climate impact of agriculture, which is our largest source of emissions. We need it to protect and restore our depleted biodiversity. We need it to facilitate the recovery of our polluted water bodies and we need it to regulate pollutants like ammonia that are detrimental to human health.
We know that a better future for Irish farming is in reach, and we need your help to get there.
A public consultation on the Strategy is still open, and you have the opportunity up until midday Tuesday 15 June to send in your submission calling for a better deal for nature and for our small farmers.
Where can I find the consultation?
It’s up on the gov.ie website on the consultation page, but you can also find it right here.
How do I send in my submission and what should I put in it?
There are two parts to the consultation.
First off, there’s a questionnaire that’s available on the webpage itself. The second element is sending in your own written submission directly to 2030StrategyEnvironmentalConsultation@agriculture.gov.ie.
There are a lot of things we need to push for in this Strategy. Here’s a few recommendations you could include to get you started:
- The phase-out of all subsidies that prop up environmentally damaging practices
- Rewards for nature-friendly farming through results-based agri-environment schemes
- The implementation of a national agro-forestry programme that centres native woodlands
- Squaring off areas from concentrated livestock to protect our water quality
- The creation of a comprehensive public engagement programme to help steer our agriculture system towards a fairer way of operating.*
Once you’ve got your submission in, reach out to people you know who are also concerned about our climate and nature and see if they’d be up for putting in a submission. You can even send them this guide to help get them started.
Good luck!
*These recommendations are taken from a 70-organisation strong report titled “Towards a New Agricultural and Food Policy for Ireland: Recommendations for Government”. If you’re looking for more pointers to include your submission, check out the document in full: https://bit.ly/3nlwchJ
