Today marks the 80th Virgina Show which is currently underway in the Co Cavan town. Agriculture is at the heart of the event and former Macra na Feirme president and Cavan farmer Thomas Duffy says farmers are leading the charge when it comes to climate change.
Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, Thomas highlighted how changes in global weather patterns have indicated that more needs to be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He says that farmers are the only group in Ireland with a plan and the sector's target of a 25% reduction in emissions will be met.
Mr Duffy pointed out that while farmers are facing difficulties, many of them have been brought about as a direct result of contradictions in policy. He says that in rural Ireland there is a detachment between policy and what's happening locally but there is huge potential for Cavan and Monaghan to lead when it comes to biogas in the north west.
He added that if a farmers party is established, then credible people must become involved. "This idea that this political party is just going to walk it, I would have fears that potentially this could fragment our political power, and actually in many ways weaken us.
"We need to have credible people who are answerable to not only the real organisations - and not just Facebook Pages - but will also lead the farming community. They need to tell us the hard truths that we are going to have to own up to and demand the supports that farmers need.
"We don't need this sniping from the ditches activity." Meanwhile, Mr Duffy pointed to the "good market return" in the dairy sector last year despite high costs. He says that fertiliser use was down 33% in 2022 indicating "great progress" in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and forcing farmers to find ways of cutting costs.
Mr Duffy added that the transport sector is way behind in the effort to reduce emissions and highlighted how there are no fast chargers in Virginia - one of the largest towns in Co Cavan.
