Irish climate council warns farm sector is unprepared for weather extremes as emission targets slip

Advisory council warns of climate unreadiness

The Climate Change Advisory Council has warned that the Irish agriculture sector remains unprepared for mounting climate disruptions, treating recurrent weather shocks as isolated incidents rather than structural shifts. In its annual review published this week, the independent advisory body called on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to deliver a practical climate-risk toolkit tailored to individual land parcels within 12 months. Agriculture generated 37% of Ireland's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, yet sector emissions fell by just 0.2% that year to 20.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. That represents an overall cut of 4.7% from the revised 2018 baseline, trailing well behind the government target of a 10% reduction by 2025 and a 25% reduction by 2030. Council chairman Alex White stressed that farm resilience requires structural support rather than short-term emergency responses.

We cannot keep treating every prolonged wet period or drought as an isolated crisis.

Severe drought depletes fodder and crops

Irish farmers are currently facing acute feed and pasture deficits following a dry summer. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon noted that supplementary feeding on farms stands at an average of 55%, climbing to 72% in regions most affected by drought. A survey by state agency Teagasc found that 58% of farms face a fodder deficit of at least 10%. At an advisory meeting at Oak Park in County Carlow, Teagasc recorded cumulative grass production on PastureBase Ireland farms at 9,219 kilograms of dry matter per hectare, which is 412 kilograms below the five-year average and 1,072 kilograms below the ten-year average. In horticulture, only 20% of the potato crop had irrigation access during the dry months, prompting the Department of Agriculture to adjust capital investment rules to encourage irrigation adoption.

Forestry planting and biomethane targets lag

The advisory council also reported severe implementation deficits across land diversification programmes. The government missed its annual afforestation target of 8,000 hectares by 68% in 2025, planting 2,527 hectares (roughly 6.9 million trees). Planting rates dropped further in the first six months of 2026 to 777 hectares, down from 1,513 hectares during the same period in 2025. Although authorities approved licenses covering 1,748 hectares up to June 2026, landholders frequently chose not to proceed due to administrative requirements and replanting obligations. Progress in renewable fuels is similarly constrained, with domestic biomethane production from agricultural waste projected to achieve only 40% of its 2030 target.

European response and policy flexibility

At an informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers held at Dublin Castle, EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen met national representatives to review the continent-wide fallout from summer heatwaves and dry spells. Hansen noted that conditions placed intense physical and psychological strain on producers, citing a French grower who faced temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius inside production greenhouses. The European Commission advised member states to use existing flexibilities within the Common Agricultural Policy to release advance payments and consider adapting manure spreading windows under the Nitrates Directive.

Member states can make certain CAP (Common Agriculture Policy) payments in an earlier manner, helping as well to provide the much-needed liquidity to farmers because that is what, in this first phase, is most needed.

Minister Heydon confirmed that the Irish government is keeping the 1 October deadline for organic fertiliser spreading under review while assessing ground conditions.