Among those\u00a0planning\u00a0to\u00a0advance<\/a>\u00a0their own agenda\u00a0are\u00a0the powerful\u00a0Irish farm\u00a0lobby,\u00a0which,\u00a0as\u00a0DeSmog has shown<\/a>,\u00a0has repeatedly lobbied against or sought to weaken climate policies affecting agriculture, such as\u00a0emissions targets for the sector.\u00a0So far,\u00a0their\u00a0demands for\u00a0the presidency\u00a0emphasise<\/a>\u00a0\u201csimplification\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a shorthand for\u00a0axeing\u00a0regulatory burdens\u00a0for business\u00a0that\u00a0critics\u00a0say is\u00a0a\u00a0byword\u00a0for\u00a0slashing<\/a>\u00a0green rules.\u00a0<\/p>\n Farm lobby groups\u00a0are\u00a0also\u00a0urging\u00a0the Irish government\u00a0to\u00a0boost\u00a0the\u00a0polluting\u00a0livestock sector\u00a0during\u00a0its presidency.\u00a0At\u00a038.7\u00a0percent,\u00a0according to\u00a0official\u00a0figures\u00a0released\u00a0last\u00a0week,\u00a0agriculture is the largest\u00a0single source<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0emissions\u00a0in Ireland,\u00a0with nitrates-heavy manure and fertiliser contaminating<\/a>\u00a0Ireland\u2019s\u00a0air, soils, and waterways.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Europe,\u00a0Ireland\u00a0also faces pressure\u00a0from\u00a0an increasingly powerful far-right in the European\u00a0parliament,\u00a0who\u00a0are pushing a deregulatory agenda which attacks\u00a0key\u00a0EU rules. In the face of this opposition, campaigners\u00a0say, Ireland\u00a0must\u00a0stand firm and\u00a0back\u00a0policies which support climate targets and repair degraded nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n Subscribe to Desmog<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Farming\u00a0is both a key contributor to emissions \u2014\u00a0responsible<\/a>\u00a0for 11-12 percent of the\u00a0EU\u2019s\u00a0total\u00a0\u2014 and\u00a0highly exposed\u00a0to\u00a0climate impacts, with rising temperatures from climate change\u00a0punishing\u00a0farmers\u00a0through increased droughts, flooding\u00a0and soil erosion.\u00a0A 2025 study estimates that extreme weather impacts from climate change now\u00a0cost the<\/a>\u00a0EU farming sector \u20ac28\u00a0billion\u00a0(\u00a324 billion) a year. \u201cAs the\u00a0recent\u00a0heatwaves\u00a0make\u00a0clear, the climate, nature, and pollution\u00a0crisis\u00a0is not going away,\u201d\u00a0Faustine Bas De\u00a0Fossez, director for nature, health and the environment at\u00a0the\u00a0Brussels-based\u00a0European Environmental Bureau\u00a0told DeSmog.<\/p>\n \u201cThis\u00a0leaves Ireland with a choice:\u00a0reinforce the current drive to weaken environmental and health safeguards, or help Europe respond to the crisis with policies grounded in science and public interest.\u201d<\/p>\n Below are\u00a0some of the key\u00a0battlegrounds for\u00a0environmental action\u00a0we can expect to see playing out\u00a0under the Irish presidency,\u00a0which\u00a0will run\u00a0until\u00a0December\u00a02026.<\/p>\n The homepage of Ireland\u2019s Presidency website launched in June, alongside its event programme and list of priorities. Credit: irish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu<\/a><\/p>\n Livestock\u00a0\u2014 A Live Debate<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s\u00a0long record of lobbying\u00a0the EU\u00a0on behalf of\u00a0its\u00a0polluting\u00a0agricultural\u00a0sector\u00a0raises alarm bells for the presidency among campaigners.\u00a0They\u00a0fear that the country\u2019s\u00a0influential dairy lobby<\/a>\u00a0could\u00a0seize on the opportunity to\u00a0advance its agenda\u00a0without addressing\u00a0the sector\u2019s\u00a0devastating\u00a0contribution\u00a0to\u00a0biodiversity loss<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0global heating<\/a>.<\/p>\n In\u00a0its list of priorities, published in mid-June, the Irish presidency\u00a0notes<\/a>\u00a0in neutral tones\u00a0that\u00a0Council discussions \u201cwill consider how\u00a0livestock farming can contribute to\u00a0economic and social objectives, while\u00a0responding to environmental and climate-related challenges\u201d.<\/p>\n But how\u00a0will\u00a0this\u00a0play out in practice?\u00a0At home,\u00a0Ireland is currently\u00a0considering<\/a>\u00a0adopting a\u00a0controversial way of accounting for\u00a0national\u00a0methane emissions\u00a0using a\u00a0metric\u00a0called\u00a0GWP*,\u00a0which is widely condemned as a\u00a0greenwashing tactic<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Irish\u00a0government has\u00a0previously indicated<\/a>\u00a0it will advocate for this new accounting method\u00a0at EU\u00a0level, but climate scientists caution\u00a0strongly\u00a0against\u00a0this approach. They\u00a0say\u00a0it\u00a0distorts<\/a>\u00a0science,\u00a0undercuts countries\u2019 ambition to make progress on their climate goals\u00a0and\u00a0allows emitters to claim they are \u201cclimate neutral\u201d\u00a0simply for\u00a0stabilising\u00a0emissions.<\/p>\n GWP* flies\u00a0in the face of recommendations from\u00a0the world\u2019s leading climate science body. The\u00a0Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)\u00a0has thus far resisted pressure to adopt the metric\u00a0for\u00a0its assessments. The IPCC reports also state that\u00a0methane<\/a>\u00a0emissions\u00a0must be cut\u00a0by 45 percent\u00a0before\u00a02040 to preserve a\u00a0liveable climate.<\/p>\n Ireland\u00a0took\u00a0on\u00a0the presidency\u00a0just\u00a0days\u00a0before\u00a0\u00a0the\u00a0EU Commission\u00a0published its\u00a0Livestock Strategy<\/a>,\u00a0which has come under fire from\u00a0environmental groups.<\/p>\n The vision, which was\u00a0aimed\u00a0at\u00a0harmonising EU policy\u00a0governing subsidies, emissions and trade,\u00a0dodges important questions such as the sector\u2019s large emissions footprint\u00a0and\u00a0proposes\u00a0weakening environmental rules,\u00a0critics\u00a0say.<\/p>\n The \u2018simplification\u2019 of\u00a0the\u00a0EU Nitrates Directive<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a key EU water protection law\u00a0\u2014\u00a0is discussed\u00a0in the text, along with\u00a0calls for changes to how methane is counted,\u00a0which appear to\u00a0open\u00a0the door to the\u00a0use\u00a0of GWP*.<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond the climate harm, any attempt to distract of methane\u2019s real-world impact only wastes precious time,\u201d said Claire Stockwell, the director of European strategies\u00a0from\u00a0the non-profit\u00a0research and advocacy\u00a0organisation\u00a0Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy.\u201c<\/p>\n Farmers and farming communities need to diversify their\u00a0agricultural\u00a0systems,\u201d she told DeSsmog. \u201cAny distraction puts them at risk of significant losses\u00a0in old production models,as global warming increases the frequency and severity of extreme climate\u00a0events.\u201d<\/p>\n Stockwell\u00a0called on Ireland to\u00a0stay\u00a0true to its \u201chonest broker\u201d role\u00a0on livestock\u00a0during the presidency\u00a0and\u00a0be \u201ctransparent\u201dabout the real-world impact methane pollution has on global\u00a0heating.<\/p>\n Livestock is responsible for just under a\u00a0third of\u00a0global methane emissions<\/a>,\u00a0which in turn\u00a0account\u00a0for\u00a0a third of\u00a0man-made global\u00a0heating\u00a0to date, according to the UN\u2019s 2022 Global Methane Assessment.<\/p>\n Extracts from Ireland\u2019s official priorities, published in mid-June. Credit: irish-presidency.consilium.europa.eu<\/a><\/p>\n Simplification Agenda<\/p>\n Ireland\u00a0takes up its role as\u00a0a\u00a0deregulation push is in full swing.<\/p>\n High on the Council\u2019s agenda are\u00a0two\u00a0major\u00a0files \u2014 the\u00a0Food and Feed Omnibus and Environmental Omnibus, sweeping legislative\u00a0packages\u00a0that\u00a0are\u00a0used to amend or modify multiple directives at the same time.\u00a0Ireland, which will\u00a0first\u00a0broker agreement within the\u00a0EU\u00a0Council,\u00a0has said it will\u00a0agree\u00a0on both files\u00a0with the EU parliament\u00a0by the end of the year.<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s powerful farm lobby has a stake in the\u00a0outcome\u00a0of both omnibuses \u2014 as do intensive\u00a0farmers\u00a0across the bloc.\u00a0Proposals\u00a0include\u00a0a rule that would make it easier to reapprove potentially harmful pesticides, and changes to the\u00a0Industrial Emissions Directive\u00a0(IED),\u00a0which regulates emissions from large pig and poultry\u00a0farms.<\/p>\n These omnibuses are central to a \u201csimplification\u201d agenda that the EU has advanced in the last two years\u00a0\u2014 and\u00a0which has led the block to roll back<\/a> on\u00a0a number of key safeguards, often without impact assessments.<\/p>\n Ireland has\u00a0listed simplification<\/a>\u00a0as a priority for the\u00a0presidency, saying that it will work to advance this\u00a0agenda \u201cextensively\u201d over the next six months. Meanwhile,\u00a0some of\u00a0Ireland\u2019s biggest and most active farm lobby groups,\u00a0including\u00a0the\u00a0Irish Farmers Association<\/a>\u00a0(IFA)\u00a0and\u00a0Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association<\/a>,\u00a0highlighted<\/a> simplification in consultation responses they submitted on the presidency\u00a0late\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n The\u00a0IFA, which\u00a0has\u00a0consistently\u00a0sought<\/a>\u00a0to weaken\u00a0environmental\u00a0policies\u00a0it\u00a0views\u00a0as negatively impacting the\u00a0sector,\u00a0called on the Irish Presidency\u00a0to\u00a0make\u00a0an \u201cabsolute commitment\u201d to\u00a0\u201csimplifying rules for farmers\u00a0on the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n In February, presenting evidence to a parliamentary hearing, the group\u00a0highlighted<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0Nitrates Directive\u00a0and\u00a0Habitats and Birds Directives\u00a0as of \u201cimmense significance\u201d to the sector, without immediately elaborating further.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Nitrates Directive\u00a0\u2014 which is designed to protect EU waters from\u00a0the impacts of agricultural pollution \u2014 is of\u00a0particular\u00a0importance<\/a> to Ireland\u2019s intensive dairy farmers.<\/p>\n After heavy lobbying by both the Irish government and industry, the EU\u00a0granted<\/a>\u00a0Ireland its latest derogation\u00a0in\u00a0December. The exemption \u2014 which makes Ireland an outlier in Europe \u2014\u00a0means selected farms\u00a0in Ireland can spread\u00a0more\u00a0manure per hectare than would normally be permitted\u00a0up until a new deadline of 2028,\u00a0allowing for a continuation of high herd numbers and intensive production.<\/p>\n Research from Irish state scientific agency Teagasc\u00a0found<\/a> herds in Ireland\u2019s intensive dairy sector would have to be cut by 14 percent if the derogation was lifted, as farmers would struggle to find ways to dispose of animal manure.<\/p>\n nThe\u00a0Habitats and Birds Directives,\u00a0which protect designated species and habitats\u00a0and\u00a0are\u00a0both\u00a0under review,\u00a0play\u00a0into the nitrates debate,\u00a0since\u00a0the EU\u00a0requires Ireland<\/a>\u00a0to show farms are compliant with these laws\u00a0in order to retain its\u00a0derogation. Meanwhile,\u00a0the EU is\u00a0due\u00a0to report back on a review of the Nitrates Directive this week \u2014 which green groups and politicians fear could open it up to deregulation.<\/p>\n Fintan\u00a0Kelly,\u00a0senior land use officer at the Irish Environmental Network,\u00a0said\u00a0that\u00a0the\u00a0presidency \u201cpresents significant environmental risks\u201d, particularly through the\u00a0simplification\u00a0agenda, which\u00a0he says\u00a0is\u00a0\u201cbetter understood as deregulation rather than improved regulation\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe\u00a0ongoing omnibus processes and the proposed streamlining measures [in Ireland\u2019s official list of priorities]\u00a0risk introducing exemptions that could undermine core EU laws protecting nature and water, along with broader EU efforts to restore nature,\u201d\u00a0he warns.<\/p>\n Extracts from a consultation response from the Irish Farmers\u2019 Association on priorities for the Irish Presidency. Credit: gov.ie<\/a><\/p>\n Climate\u00a0Legislation<\/p>\n Ireland\u00a0is\u00a0making\u00a0positive noises\u00a0about\u00a0\u201caccelerating climate action\u201d at both EU and international levels.<\/p>\n But the next six months will test whether such commitments have teeth, as\u00a0Ireland\u00a0facilitates\u00a0member state agreement and progress discussions on a number of key files. These include\u00a0the Emissions Trading System\u00a0(ETS),\u00a0the\u00a0EU\u2019s internal carbon trading system,\u00a0which sets a carbon price for high-emitting products and\u00a0is\u00a0credited<\/a>\u00a0with significantly\u00a0bringing down<\/a>\u00a0emissions from\u00a0the sectors it covers.<\/p>\n The ETS has come under fresh attacks\u00a0this year\u00a0from business\u00a0groups\u00a0and\u00a0member\u00a0states<\/a>\u00a0such as\u00a0Poland, Italy and the Czech Republic. Some\u00a0farm\u00a0industry groups<\/a>\u00a0have also called for revisions to the\u00a0legislation, which adds a carbon price to fossil fuel fertilisers.<\/p>\n Campaigners say that\u00a0in order to drive forward agreement and action on the ETS, Ireland\u2019s credibility would be boosted by showing a clean\u00a0domestic\u00a0scorecard. But\u00a0the country\u2019s\u00a0own\u00a0emissions record\u00a0is patchy, particularly on agriculture.<\/p>\n Latest figures, released this week by\u00a0Ireland\u2019s Environmental Protection Agency,\u00a0showed<\/a>\u00a0agriculture made up\u00a039\u00a0percent of\u00a0the country\u2019s\u00a0emissions. In total, it achieved\u00a0a reduction of just\u00a00.2 percent\u00a0last year, compared with sharper cuts in other sectors.<\/p>\n In another worrying sign\u00a0for environmental progress,\u00a0Ireland\u00a0last month\u00a0introduced a new\u00a0Critical Infrastructure Bil<\/a>l, a law aimed at fast-tracking strategically important developments, which\u00a0relieves\u00a0authorities of the need to ensure developments hit climate obligations. This June, the government also approved a new\u00a0Strategic Gas Reserve Bill<\/a>, opening the way to a new liquid natural gas\u00a0development\u00a0in the South\u00a0of Ireland.<\/p>\n Jerry\u00a0Mac Evilly\u00a0head of policy at\u00a0Friends of the Earth Ireland,\u00a0says it\u2019s crucial for\u00a0Ireland\u00a0to get\u00a0its own house in order on climate:\u00a0\u201cThe EU presidency is a significant opportunity for Ireland to show its commitment to climate action and resilience\u201d,\u00a0he said,\u00a0but\u00a0carries\u00a0\u201ca severe risk of reputational damage\u201d\u00a0if\u00a0government actions at home don\u2019t match its rhetoric abroad.<\/p>\n Sophie Nodzenski, a\u00a0senior\u00a0campaign\u00a0strategist from Greenpeace,\u00a0said Ireland\u2019s agricultural policy \u2014 particularly around GWP*\u00a0\u2014\u00a0also undercuts\u00a0its credibility on climate:\u00a0\u201cIreland\u2019s flirtation with this unscientific accounting trick\u00a0raises serious questions about its claim to be an EU climate leader,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Farming Subsidies<\/p>\n Ireland\u00a0adopts its 13th presidency\u00a0at a critical time for negotiations on the EU\u2019s\u00a0post-2027\u00a0budget.<\/p>\n Agriculture\u00a0will be core to the discussions\u00a0on the\u00a0seven-year\u00a0budget \u2014\u00a0known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) \u2014\u00a0as\u00a0the Council\u00a0irons\u00a0out its stance on the structure and size of the\u00a0EU\u2019s farming subsidy scheme. The\u00a0Common Agricultural Policy\u00a0(CAP)\u00a0is\u00a0the budget\u2019s biggest ticket item,\u00a0representing<\/a>\u00a0a third\u00a0of the EU\u2019s total\u00a0\u20ac1.2 trillion budget.<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s biggest farming groups,\u00a0as well as\u00a0Ireland\u2019s agricultural\u00a0minister, Martin Heydon, have argued against\u00a0proposed reductions<\/a>\u00a0of 24 percent in\u00a0Ireland\u2019s\u00a0CAP.\u00a0In\u00a0consultation\u00a0responses<\/a>\u00a0submitted to the Irish\u00a0government,\u00a0the Irish Farmers Association\u00a0(IFA)\u00a0implies\u00a0its support for\u00a0simplification within the subsidy scheme\u00a0\u2014 an aim that is also shared in Ireland\u2019s Presidency\u00a0priorities<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0both the\u00a0IFA\u00a0and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association called<\/a> in their consultation submissions for a\u00a0separation of\u00a0environmental spending from subsidies\u00a0that go towards food\u00a0production, referencing initiatives including a key EU biodiversity protection measure \u2014 the Nature Restoration Law \u2014 which they say should be funded outside of the CAP.<\/p>\n ICSMA president\u00a0Dennis\u00a0Drennan\u00a0told DeSmog\u00a0that CAP\u00a0\u201cshould be reserved for the support of farmers who produce meaningful amounts of food\u201d\u00a0and that a separate fund\u00a0should be introduced to deliver on \u201cenvironmental aims and ambitions\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not accept\u00a0that our call for \u2018simplification\u2019 should be presented as a wish to dispense completely with legitimate requests and qualifications,\u201d Drennan added. \u201cAll we have been saying is that for at least a decade, the Commission has been talking about \u2018simplification\u2019 while their processes and systems become steadily more cumbersome and complex.\u201d<\/p>\n While many campaigners and experts\u00a0agree<\/a>\u00a0that entirely new efforts, such as the Nature Restoration Law, require new funds in order to succeed, they caution against moves to separate out subsidies for farming from environmental efforts.<\/p>\n Scientists have said it is essential<\/a> for\u00a0CAP allowances\u00a0to be\u00a0tied to\u00a0agricultural\u00a0practices that help,\u00a0rather than harm,\u00a0nature,\u00a0in order for the EU to meet its climate and\u00a0biodiversity\u00a0goals.\u00a0\u00a0When\u00a0calculated from\u00a0farm to fork,\u00a0food\u00a0systems are\u00a0responsible for up to 31 percent\u00a0<\/a>of\u00a0the bloc\u2019s greenhouse gas\u00a0emissions. Agriculture\u00a0is also\u00a0a leading driver of,biodiversity loss,\u00a0water\u00a0pollution,<\/a>\u00a0and soil degradation.<\/p>\n
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Against this backdrop,\u00a0the\u00a0presidency\u00a0presents\u00a0Ireland\u00a0with\u00a0a \u201cremarkable, though challenging, opportunity to drive forward EU climate\u00a0action,\u201d\u00a0according to\u00a0Chiara Martinelli,\u00a0director of\u00a0Climate Action Network (CAN).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
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