ICOS Climate Change Meeting with Phil Hogan

A delegation representing the ICOS Climate Change Working Group met with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan on 24th June in Dublin.  The delegation was led by the ICOS President, Martin Keane, ICOS Vice President, Michael Spellman and the ICOS Dairy Committee Chairman, Jerry Long.

From the outset, Martin Keane outlined five discussion points for the meeting, including:

  1. The setting of a fair and realistic 2030 target for Ireland
  2. The limited mitigation potential of agriculture
  3. Agriculture as part of the solution to climate change through carbon sequestration
  4. Meeting the growing global demand for food
  5. The wider environmental issues affecting Irish agriculture

In summary, Commissioner Hogan is fully aware of Ireland’s special circumstances in relation to agricultural emissions and has developed a good working relationship with the EU’s Climate Action Commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete. He is also very conscious of the need to take into account, the role of agriculture in carbon sequestration, and spoke of 380 million credits that may be allocated to other sectors from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). The Commissioner indicated that he would fight for as many of these credits as he could get to be allocated to agriculture but implied that Commissioner Canete couldn’t be seen to let agriculture off the hook by giving too much flexibility. Overall, the Commissioner was appreciative of the consultative approach taken by the Irish dairy sector in relation to climate change.

In conclusion, the Commissioner reflected on the future CAP after 2020, which will have two major dimensions:

  1. Sustainable Intensification
  2. Risk Management.

The Commissioner will also closely monitor the renewal of the Nitrates Derogation due next year. Finally, the Commissioner emphasised the importance of the circular economy and spoke of the old REPS scheme as a model that he would like to reintroduce, including a nutrient management programme.

The announcement of climate change national targets for 2030, is expected on 20th July. However, this may be delayed on account of the referendum result in the UK.

Eamonn Farrell

Agri-Food Policy Executive