Ireland's NBSAP

Food System Overview

In 2022, the Irish agri-food sector accounted for almost 7% of the gross national income and exported goods valued at a record EUR 19 billion, accounting for 9% of all exports from Ireland. The sector employs approximately 165,000 people or almost 7% of the total workforce. Agricultural production is focused on grass-based livestock farming, especially for dairy and beef production. The agri-food sector is responsible for approximately 76% of total land in the country. Irish agriculture is dominated by family-owned farms. There are around 135,000 farms, 2,000 fishing vessels & aquaculture sites, and 2,000 food production and beverage enterprises that employ 165,000 people across the agri-food sector in Ireland, as of 2022.[i]

NBSAP Development

Ireland’s NBSAP was developed in three stages, each of which targeted a different stakeholder group. During the first stage, representatives from the key government departments and state agencies, biodiversity experts, and the business sector discussed the high-level structure and direction of the NBSAP, including the proposed vision, objectives, and outcomes for biodiversity. During the second stage, feedback was sought from stakeholders that are supposed to implement the actions outlined in the NBSAP. This included government departments and state bodies, local authorities, and environmental non-governmental organisations and community groups. The third stage consisted of an open public consultation that received more than 300 written responses submitted either online or by post.

Food System Measures

Ireland’s 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP) contains food-related measures for a majority of targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Measures include sustainable soil management, agroecology, integrated and biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning, organic farming, reduced pollution from agricultural inputs, sustainable practices in fishing and aquaculture, reducing food waste, promoting a circular economy, encouraging sustainable consumption choices, introducing sustainability certification schemes, conserving genetic diversity in food production, and improving financial support for biodiversity conservation by family farmers.

NBSAP Implementation

Ireland has established an Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to support NBAP delivery. The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development is contributing EUR 3.9 billion to the implementation of the Common Agriculture Policy Strategic Plan for 2023-2027 (CAP-SP). Implementation of the CAP-SP involves some environmentally ambitious interventions included in the NBAP. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is responsible for policies and funding programs in the areas of agriculture, food, fisheries, and forestry.

Related to food system sustainability, Ireland has adopted the Food Vision 2030 which sets out a vision for Ireland to become a world leader in sustainable food systems by 2030. The NBAP does not specify how it relates to the Vision.[ii]

Sources

[i] Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. (2023). Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2023. Retrieved from https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/277211/017e5734-74a3-478e-af25-0adb19ee7ffd.pdf; Government of Ireland. (2022). Food Vision 2030. A World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems. Retrieved from https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/179717/910771f6-05ed-43f1-b8ce-52ef7c602710.pdf.

[ii] Government of Ireland. (2022).