The coronavirus crisis may have exposed weak links in our food supply, but the slower burn of climate change will be no less destructive. New technologies and scientific discoveries, combined with increasing public awareness and demand for sustainable food, are driving the sustainability agenda in food production.
Deirdre Ryan is director of Origin Green, the Bord Bia food and drink sustainability programme. Farming faces “massive challenges” from a national and international perspective, in terms of air quality, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions, she says.
And according to Ryan, what would once have been considered trends in sustainability are now very much the norm. She cites the example of the "farm to fork" strategy, published by the European Commission earlier this year. This strategy sets targets to significantly reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides, the use of fertilisers and sales of antimicrobials as well as increase agricultural land under organic farming. It also seeks to improve animal welfare, protect plant health and promote the adoption of new green business models.
“The farm-to-fork strategy is at the heart of the Green Deal, which is attempting to drive the transition to a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system in Europe,” Ryan says. “Initiatives like this are setting the tone for everyone involved in food production and are still progressing despite the pandemic.”
Teagasc’s director of research, Prof Frank O’Mara, agrees there is “a heightened importance” around environmental sustainability, increasingly driven by societal and consumer requirements.
“It’s seen in the Green Deal but it’s also seen in Ireland’s agrifoods strategies,” he says. These are centred on what O’Mara calls the four pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, economic, and innovation. “That’s what the whole food system is about now. Food production is not just the simple business of just producing food any more.”
According to O’Mara, the pandemic may have a lasting impact on how people view and choose their food.
“Covid-19 is just another external driver that has changed the way people are buying their food,” he says. “Less is being bought from the service market such as restaurants but there is more being bought from supermarkets. People have a renewed interest in their food and what has also emerged is an interest in the food supply chain, with people wanting to buy local.”
And Ryan says that while the coronavirus pandemic paused progress for a short period of time, the long-term agenda of sustainability has not changed: “Covid did take over from everything for a couple of months, but from a Bord Bia perspective we are actively responding to everything; it’s crucial in terms of building our reputation as a producer of sustainable food.”
At a farm level, Origin Green works with more than 53,000 farmers as part of its sustainable assurance schemes. More than 100 auditors undertake more than 650 independent farm audits each week, and under the programme more than 260,000 carbon assessments have taken place on beef and dairy farms since the programme’s inception. This means food and drink suppliers have independent proof of their sustainability credentials that they can then share with trade customers, stakeholders and the general public.
Online delivery
Ryan explains the pandemic necessitated a pivot towards online delivery of this audit process.
“We had to move fast to allow remote auditing and even though some of the companies we work with might be facing difficulty, they still know that the audits are a key part of the growth agenda. The post-Covid recovery is going to be about differentiating Irish food and drink through its sustainability credentials, so it remains crucial,” she says.
Sustainability is often synonymous with innovation, and for some producers it’s a case of not fixing what isn’t broken, Ryan admits. Buy-in has been largely good but over time the benefits will speak for themselves, she says.
“It’s the same with anything, there are those that are pioneering change and open to innovation but for others they want to wait and see the improvements and benefits and that’s understandable too. The financial benefits of this approach are also significant.”
Ireland’s agriculture enjoys a strong global reputation for high environmental standards. As these standards become more stringent, however, it’s crucial that Irish farms continue to adopt new farming practices that meet these sustainability challenges, says O’Mara. “Ireland needs to be seen as a trusted source of food. Committing to research and innovation will be critical to that.”
“Sustainability isn’t going away, it’s just becoming more pertinent all the time,” Ryan adds. “A lot has been achieved but there is a lot that needs to be done across the supply chain to meet the mounting global pressures. Sustainability is more and more becoming a licence to operate, and we need to keep pace with the demands of global customers of Irish food and drink.”