Agriculture

An Taisce calls on Minister Coveney to protect the EU Soil Framework Directive and introduce CAP schemes to support soil regeneration

EU considering withdrawal of important environmental legislation

An Taisce – the National Trust for Ireland – today called on Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to take steps to protect the proposed EU Soil Framework Directive and to introduce schemes under the new CAP reform to support agricultural practices that preserve and regenerate soil health.

An Taisce calls for strong Climate Change Bill and re-evaluation of the sustainability of Food Harvest 2020.

An Taisce – the National Trust for Ireland – expressed concern at today’s release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) report showing that greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1% in 2012. To counter this, An Taisce calls on the government to deliver a strong Climate Change Bill with binding targets and to re-evaluate the sustainability of Food Harvest 2020.

Parking levy on out-of-town retail outlets would raise more than €16m a year - An Taisce's Pre-Budget submission

Implementing Government policy for a parking levy to help level the playing field between out-of-town retail outlets and town centre shops would yield at least €16m a year, An Taisce has told Government in its pre-budget submission.

[Dublin, Ireland] A new study launched today has found that the greening of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is on course to end in failure by allowing farmers to secure European funding while not taking measures to protect the environment. The study evaluates how a proposal supported by Agriculture Ministers under which farmers would be considered ‘green by definition’ could work on the ground in Ireland and four other Member States, and whether it can fulfill the objectives of the reform.

Restoring key safeguards for consumers hinges on proposals from Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness (FG). A pledge from Mairead McGuinness MEP to work to restore cross compliance for animal steroids has been welcomed by An Taisce and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). The same organisations have also asked for her help to protect water supplies.

Broad swathe of civil society organisations ask MEPs to help ensure CAP reform follows citizens’ wishes.

The call from 276 organisations, including An Taisce – the National Trust for Ireland, is heavily critical of the stance of the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee, saying that MEPs need to act as a whole to counteract the narrow-focus Committee which has followed an unfair and biased approach and failed to deliver on its mandate.

This is battle between the short term-ism of the Committee and the interests of Europe as a whole, says An Taisce.

The employment growth in the green economy, so desperately needed, will not be happen with such a lame bill.

The Heads of the Climate Change Bill agreed at Cabinet today represent a gutless reaction to tackling Ireland’s greenhouse emissions problem. The lack of targets means that this is a toothless bill.

On a per capita basis Ireland is one of the worst greenhouse gas emitters in the world and bears a responsibility, more than most, to address this.

Dublin seminar to hear Kenyan expert call for reversal of EU biofuels policy.

A seminar at the IIEA in Dublin today will hear from David Barisa of ActionAid Kenya. David works with Kenyan communities affected by disposition to make way for industrial biofuel production – and fending off such attempts.

David worked successfully with the Malindi community to stop an Italian company establishing an industrial biofuel plantation in Dakatcha woodland in Kenya’s coastal region.

The Heads of Bill of a Climate Change bill were to be produced by Phil Hogan T.D. the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government today. Seemingly it did not go in front of Cabinet today.

Now is an opportunity for the Minister to include targets in his Climate Change Bill. An Taisce will denounce any Bill that does not include targets as ‘Gutless’ and ‘Toothless’.

The Heads of Bill to be produced by Phil Hogan T.D. the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on the 12th February 2013, will represent a gutless reaction to tackling Ireland’s greenhouse emissions problem. On a per capita basis, Ireland is one of the worst greenhouse gas emitters in the world. Ireland bears a moral responsibility to address this. An Taisce is calling on Minister Hogan to include targets in his Climate Change Bill.