There is "no doubt whatsoever" that there will be "big changes" in diet arising from climate change and cost of living pressures according to President Michael D Higgins.
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships earlier this month, President Higgins added that, "everybody is going to have to change," and criticised the economic model of agriculture that is, "narrowly focused in relation to price inducement."
But what are some of the big changes President Higgins is alluding to?
The recent Citizens' Assembly on biodiversity loss called for the public to be encouraged to switch to a "more plant-based diet," while a recent post on social media by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling for consumers to "reduce your red meat consumption slowly," led to objections from the Irish Farmers' Association.
As part of The Conversation from RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon, we asked two people to join our WhatsApp group to discuss Ireland's meat consumption and production.
Dr Laura Kehoe is an environmental scientist.
Eddie Punch is the General Secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).
Dr Laura Kehoe
Hi Eddie.
Eddie Punch
Hi Laura.
Laura Kehoe
The degree to which we are currently producing meat and dairy is destroying what's left of our ecosystems. Ireland's ecological integrity sticks out like a literal sore thumb when you look at this European Union (EU) map.
Ireland is ranked 203 out of 218 countries for Biodiversity Intactness* according to this 2016 RSPB State of Nature UK Report.
Eddie Punch
Irish farmers are people who get up early in the morning to produce nutritious food for us and for many export markets.
The world's population has doubled since we joined the EU in 1973. Our national herd has been stable for those 50 years but because of increased farm efficiency our output has risen substantially.
Irish farms are invested in sustainability - we have 680,000 km of hedgerow which is predominantly linked to livestock farming.
The food we produce is really important, not on the basis of calories, but nutrient density and readily accessible protein, iron, calcium and other critical nutrients. The FAO** emphasises the importance of animal sourced foods.
Dr Laura Kehoe
Irish farmers need to be supported in transitioning to practices that can directly feed people and recover broken ecosystems.
People forget that there was a time when 80% of Ireland was cloaked in lush Atlantic rainforest.
In terms of diet, meat and dairy have been shown to be damaging to our health, for example, in Ireland, close to 5,000 diet-related deaths could be avoided according to Dr Marco Springmann from Oxford University.
Due to the association with colorectal cancer, in 2018 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (an agency of the World Health Organization) classified processed red meat as a Group 1 'carcinogen' (cancer causing agent) to humans and has specifically recommended that processed meat should be avoided.
They classified unprocessed red meat as a Group 2A 'probable carcinogen'.
Eddie Punch
It makes no sense to switch to fruit and veg when our colleagues in the Netherlands and Spain have already spent billions on glasshouses and irrigation.
It would be reckless to forget the sunk costs in dairy and beef systems.
"Probable" carcinogen - in other words despite their best efforts they couldn't make the link.
They only linked it to processed meat - which like with many ultra processed foods it's not clear whether it's the meat or the processing or the additives.
Dr Laura Kehoe
Your point in no way addresses the research that shows 5,000 premature deaths could be avoided in Ireland if we switch to a healthy predominantly plant-based diet.
The increased risk of breast cancer from eating cheese is so high that medical professionals in the US want warnings put on cheese products.
Since we are discussing health, let's also talk about planetary health.
A study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), synthesized results from 19 recent dose–response metanalyses to determine how five health outcomes — incidences of colorectal cancer, CHD, type II diabetes, and stroke, as well as risk of total mortality — were impacted by consuming an additional serving of each type of food per day. It clearly shows that what is bad for our body is also a nightmare for the planet.
Eddie Punch
All types of industry give rise to emissions, but only agriculture also sequesters carbon as well.
We need balance between climate policy, food security, energy security in policy.
We also need to respect the rich gastronomy heritage of different regions across the world especially in the EU, many of which are linked to tasty nutrition like parmigiana cheese for example.
Dr Laura Kehoe
I think you may find native forests are able to sequester carbon, although you would have a hard time finding a native forest amidst all the pasture.
Eddie Punch
Native forests won't feed the world. Do you really expect farmers to give up farming to cover their land in native forests?
Dr Laura Kehoe
What I'm saying is our current food system is completely broken. There has been a 73% reduction in domestic fruit and vegetable production since 1961 and a 14% reduction since 2010.
Meanwhile, a total of 195,360 Irish dairy calves were exported from Ireland in the first 25 weeks of this year, over 50% went to the Netherlands. In a system that is so cruel, the Dutch parliament has just passed a motion to ban the import of Irish calves.
Eddie Punch
We are in the EU and we share a single market - so each member state farms according to its natural and competitive advantages - it rains a lot in Ireland, grass grows and we turn it into meat and dairy more efficiently and more sustainable than most.
Consumers in Europe have access to an incredible variety of cheap food from multiple sources and regions. The only thing that's wrong is the proliferation of ultra processed foods with massive overuse of added sugars and salts - but that's not the fault of Irish farmers.
Dr Laura Kehoe
Because of the shocking environmental impact of animal agriculture, the Citizens' Assembly on biodiversity loss calls for a switch to a more plant-based diet. This is what happens when the public learns of the atrocities of this industry.
In 2021, the EPA carried out a representative study of 4,000 people in Ireland. It asked if they supported reducing the national cattle herd to reduce emissions. All demographics (urban, rural, large towns, small towns, and all age groups) showed majority support for reducing the national herd.
Irish people already want change, but it is lobbyists and a small minority who want to maximise profits holding up a just transition to a healthier food system.
Eddie Punch
Atrocities of the industry? I don't think most Irish people would share that extreme view. Opinion polls are one thing, what consumers buy tells you what they really think - the fake burger companies are failing badly and share prices are collapsing. ***
Dr Laura Kehoe
The Citizens Assembly is a representation of the Irish public. Plus, I haven't even mentioned the physical cruelty - the way sows are confined in cages too small for them to be able to turn around, male chicks being ground up alive, broiler hens routinely boiled alive, calves born as their mothers are being slaughtered.
Eddie Punch
Fact is world demand for meat and dairy is increasing and that's not surprising because as people become more affluent, they want the nutritional benefits of a wider diet with meat, dairy, fruit and veg all important.
The Citizens' Assembly hasn't impacted demand for beef and dairy products.
Dr Laura Kehoe
We literally cannot stay with a safe living space for human societies without a large-scale transition to mostly plant-based whole foods.
Business as usual is destroying our planet and our health.
Eddie Punch
I still haven't seen a coherent proposal for how Irish farmers could radically transform their farming systems and whereby the transition would be just. All I hear is just transition for ideological reasons.
Dr Laura Kehoe
Ok so we agree we need a massive transition?! This is fantastic news, first of all we can support farmers to grow nutritious food for direct human consumption.
The Netherlands is making good progress on this front, food forests are also a fantastic option that support biodiversity and have high yield.
In terms of land use, if we all woke up vegan in 2050, we would require less cropland than we did in the year 2000. This could allow us to reforest an area around the size of the entire Amazon rainforest – somehow fitting considering 70-80% of deforestation in the Amazon is due to the livestock industry.
Eddie Punch
In my opinion, we would make organic farming impossible and increase need for more chemical fertilisers; we would reduce potential for renewable gas from anaerobic digesters, we would make many cereal and veg products unaffordable because animal agri uses the by-products and the products not acceptable for supermarkets.
Examples of products that are only affordable because of animal agriculture include soya drinks, tofu, soya oils, beers, whiskeys.
Fortunately, Irish farmers are making a significant contribution to feeding Europe and in so doing are bringing in €18 billion in agri-food exports which benefits every single parish in Ireland - and mostly this money is retained in the Irish economy unlike other sectors.
If you consider that one of the biggest climate concerns is drought risk, then the last thing you want to do is substantially undermine meat and dairy systems in Ireland just at the time that we might need them.
Dr Laura Kehoe
We can agree people want tasty, nutritious foods. Luckily, a plant-based diet is fully equipped to provide just that. I stand with the clear body of science that says we simply cannot continue our current trajectory.
Eddie Punch
Thanks Laura.
Dr Laura Kehoe
Thanks Eddie.
*Editor's Note: Biodiversity Intactness is an estimated percentage of the original number of species and their abundance that remains in any given area, despite human impacts.
**Editor's Note: The FAO is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
***Editor's note: Beyond Meat stock slides more than 20% after company reports weak sales, cuts forecast.
