Farmers who have made “more progress” than other sectors to reduce emissions, don’t need a lecturing tone from Dublin about climate, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said.

Speaking at a European People’s Party (EPP) conference on agriculture in Carlow last Friday, Harris said it’s time for the farming sector to start “getting treated with a little bit of respect”.

“We can make progress on climate whilst also bringing about food security in Ireland and in the European Union, and what we need to see is a little less finger wagging at farmers, a little less lecturing and a hell of a lot more partnership.

“If we look at the record in relation to emissions, we already see agriculture is playing its part, and in fact there is often a disproportionate focus on agriculture rather than other sectors of the economy that aren’t making as much progress,” he said.

Income streams

Farmers, he added, need adequate support and income streams to help with the transition to become more sustainable.

“We need to be allies in relation to this, and I acknowledge the farming community has already acted. There isn’t a farmyard in the country that has not taken action on these issues in recent years, and we should acknowledge that.

“I absolutely understand that there is a sense of frustration and a sense of anger from farmers that they’ve been on what they believe to be a constant treadmill of change over the last five years, and they sense that their sector gets spoken down to or that it is no longer valued to the same extent as it once was,” he added.The Taoiseach said he is conscious that this year has been a “brutal” one for farmers, with the weather posing an “incredible degree” of challenge, pain, mental health pressure, stress and anxiety.

“The relentless rain has had a real impact. The impact isn’t just on the land, the impact is on the farmer and their family – physically and mentally.

“We [Government] need to act and when any one sector, especially one that is so fundamentally important to the Irish economy, comes up against tough times, it’s our job as a Government not just to give you words of comfort but to respond and help,” he maintained.