Session 1: 09.30 – 11.00
Environmental Sustainability: Policy Challenges and Opportunities
Chair: Mr Norman Fulton, Deputy Permanent Secretary, DAERA
Invited Speaker: Prof. Michael Wallace, Chair in Agriculture and Food Economics, UCD.
'Opportunities and challenges of increasing environmental ambition in agricultural policy'
Increased environmental ambition is a shared theme for agricultural policy for the UK and EU. This greater emphasis on ecological performance provides enhanced legitimacy for farm support measures. Yet, the actual delivery of numerous environmental targets relating to carbon, nitrates, ammonia, and biodiversity have wide-ranging implications for the agriculture sector. The presentation will evaluate some emerging challenges and opportunities at the policy interface between supporting farm business viability and addressing environmental impacts. It will illustrate trade-offs arising with policy interventions that address multiple and sometimes conflicting goals.
AFBI Speaker: Dr Adewale Adenuga, Senior Research Economist, AFBI
'Interplay of environmental and economic efficiency of dairy farms on the island of Ireland'
Efficient management of soil nutrients are essential factors in ensuring profitable and sustainable dairy production. However, any application of these nutrients in excess of immediate animal, crop and forage needs can have both negative economic and environmental consequences. This presentation gives an insight into designing policy measures required to prevent environmental damage from dairy production by analysing the environmental technical efficiency of dairy farms on the island of Ireland.
AFBI Speaker: Dr Alastair Greig, Senior Research Economist.
'Impacts of lower GB consumption of red meat and dairy on Northern Ireland agri-food sectors and wider economy'
Northern Ireland agriculture has traditionally relied on dairy and beef sales to Great Britain for a great deal of its agri-food trade. Advocates of a “sustainable transition” explicitly target British domestic demand for these products, and view reduction in beef and dairy consumption as an important step in meeting carbon emission targets and achieving more healthy and balanced diets. This paper shows the impact that a significant fall in demand for these products would have on NI agriculture and wider economy.