Food Vision 2030.

This Food Vision 2030 is a nationwide strategic document aiming, as a primary purpose, at providing a vision and policies for the Irish agri-food sector over the coming decade following the path of transition experienced by the sector over the past years. As for the aforementioned Vision, Ireland aims to become a world leader in Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) over the next decade, meeting the highest standards of sustainability – economic, environmental, and social - and producing safe, nutritious, and high-value food, while protecting and enhancing the natural and cultural resources and contributing to vibrant rural and coastal communities and the national economy. The Strategy is based on the concept of 4 high-level Missions underpinned by a series of 22 key goals and actions. The 4 Missions are as follows (i) a climate-smart, environmentally sustainable agri-food sector; (ii) viable and resilient primary producers with enhanced well-being; (iii) food that is safe, nutritious and appealing, trusted, and valued at home and abroad; and (iv) an innovative, competitive and resilient agri-food sector, driven by technology and talent.
In order to promote increased production as well as its sustainability, the Strategy proposes a number of interventions in the following sectors (1) Agriculture: (i) reduce emissions of agricultural GHGs; (ii) promote the concept of Regenerative Agriculture aiming to improve the productivity potential of soil, reduce carbon levels in the air by recapturing and storing it in the soil and managing animal grazing to replicate nature; (iii) prioritize 10% of farmed area for biodiversity; (iv) increase the agricultural areas organically farmed; (v) increase the share of viable and sustainable farms; (vi) set out a road map for the horticulture industry; (vii) increase animal health to improve food quality; (viii) undertake a national land use review; (ix) ensure the necessary actions for agriculture are included in the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan; (x) reduce pesticide use; (xi) protect waters from agricultural pollution (in particular reduce the risk of agricultural use of pesticides impacting drinking water); (xii) continue progress on genetics, including genomic breeding strategies focused on animal health and welfare, production efficiency and methane efficiency, and market suitability of all off-spring, including sexed-semen; (2) Forestry: (i) increase afforestation and double the sustainable production of biomass from forests, and examine options for afforestation on state owned lands; (ii) place farmers at the center of a new and improved afforestation; (iii) protect and foster greater biodiversity in forests; (3) Fisheries: (i) promote sustainable economic and environmental development by careful management of sea-fisheries and aquaculture; (ii) avoid overfishing and ensure a sustainable long-term seafood industry through fishery management that includes the setting of annual TACs for most commercial fish stocks; (iii) continue towards improved fisheries sustainability and meet the ‘Landing Obligation’.
Rural poverty shall be contrasted through increasing Family Farm Income programs, as well as protecting and enhancing cultural heritage, physical and intangible, which is an important source of wellbeing and broader social sustainability of rural areas.
To enhance more inclusive and effective agricultural and food systems, the document envisages to (i) increase the share of younger and trained farmers and fishers, reducing the risk of social isolation; (ii) increase value-addition, and an increase in the value of agri-food exports; (iii) develop measures that give farmers credit for practices that sequester carbon; (iv) create additional incentives, on the example of the existing Woodland Environmental Fund, to farmers to plant trees; (v) develop a National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap including all relevant stakeholders in the agri-food sector, as well as retailer, foodservice and consumer representatives; (vi) improve communication through credible, market relevant environmental and social sustainability credentials to trade customers and consumers in both national and international markets; (vii) build a strategy for the development of new markets for Irish organic products and encourage participation at farm level; (viii) all farmers and seafood operators participate in a quality assurance scheme where possible; (ix) develop contractual arrangements to bring more production and price certainty to primary producers; (x) support food producers to apply for Geographical Indicators and other quality indicators; (xi) pursue progressive taxation policies, especially to promote land mobility and assist succession, including the early inter-generational transfer of farms, to support both younger and older farmers; (x) ensure adequate access to finance for young farmers and fishers; (xi) promote women’s participation in farming and publish gender data on policy implementation; (xii) develop the digital transition of the agri-food sector.
The resilience of livelihoods to disasters con be increased through (i) reduction of e greenhouse gases (GHGs) levels in agricultural sector, and food and beverage industry; (ii) scale up of renewable energy (RE) sources; (iii) achievement of 30% of marine protected areas; (iv) reduction to halve of the level of food waste per person; (v) preparing for climate change through a series of Action Plans; (vi) a risk analysis to assess the impact of climate change on Irish food production and food safety; (vii) managing and mitigating the losses of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment to water in land-use activities to protect waters, including surface waters, from agricultural, forestry, and urban/industry pollution (including microbiological pollution); (viii) promotion and development of the benefits of increased use of wood and wood products as a pathway to reducing carbon footprints; (ix) prioritization of the ‘Clean Oceans Initiative’ in the effort to collect, reduce and reuse marine litter; (x) a more sustainable packaging pursued by industry along with efforts to reduce it.