Sir, – Further to recent correspondence (July 20th), there is no intention on the part of the Irish authorities to sidestep the challenges posed by climate change in the context of the agri-food strategy Foodwise 2025 and beyond.
Under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is currently developing mitigation and adaptation plans that will examine the potential for abatement from, and the likely need to build resilience within, the agriculture sector. This process will include examination of advances in scientific research surrounding technical abatement options for agriculture and the potential for sustainable land-use change, including in the forest sector, which protects and builds soil carbon reserves. It will also identify key areas for further research. These plans are independent of and in addition to the environmental analysis being conducted on Foodwise 2025.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has adopted an open approach to the public and our many stakeholders. This has included an eight-week consultation on mitigation from January to March 2015 and a follow-up stakeholder seminar. The agriculture sectoral plan will inform the development of a national mitigation plan that will include other key sectors.
Independent external consultants have recently been appointed by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to carry out a comprehensive environmental analysis of the national mitigation plan.
Under the Bill, an independent Climate Change Advisory Council is to advise and make recommendations to Government on matters relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation. – Yours, etc,
ULTAN WALDRON,
Press Officer,
Department of Agriculture,
Food and the Marine,
Kildare Street,
Dublin 2.