Research briefing: Transition to an Irish Vegan Agricultural System

In this report, Researcher Network member, James O’Donovan, explores the environmental and economic benefits of a transition to an Irish Vegan Agricultural System.  The biodiversity and climate change benefits arise from the large-scale conversion of land from agriculture to native forests, grasslands and wetlands.  On average subsidies make up 74% of farmer income in Ireland and for beef and sheep production, over 100%.  We need to redirect animal agriculture subsidies to pay farmers for ecosystem services.  This Executive Summary outlines the main findings and recommendations of the report, which is intended to be an information resource for people working towards an ethical and sustainable agricultural system.  You can read the full report here.

The following are the principal conclusions and recommendations from this report.

Summary of Report Statements

Land Use and Biodiversity Impacts:

1. Globally 50% of habitable (ecologically productive) land is occupied by agriculture.  An average of 42% of all land in Europe is used for agriculture.
2. There was a 60% decline in populations of vertebrate (mammal, bird, fish and amphibian) species between 1970 and 2014.  A 60% decline in the human population would be equivalent to emptying N. and S. America, Africa, Europe, China and Oceania.
3. Globally agriculture, fishing, hunting and wildlife trade is responsible for 70-80% of vertebrate biodiversity loss and intensive agriculture and agricultural poisons are the main causes of land invertebrate (insects, etc.) loss.
4. In Europe “over 71 % of agricultural land is dedicated to feeding livestock”.
5. Agriculture occupies 70% of the land in Ireland – approx. 4.9 Million Hectares (Mha).  A further 11% of land is used primarily for commercial forestry – 0.77 Mha (some of this is on farms).  The EU average for forestry is 34%.
6. According to the EPA State of the Irish Environment 2016 Report, only 7% of land based ecosystems are considered to be in a favourable ecological condition.
7. In Ireland 97% of agricultural land is used for meat and dairy production.
8. Without meat and dairy consumption, global farm land use could be reduced by more than 75% – an area equivalent to the US, China, EU and Australia combined – and still feed the world.

Water Use and Biodiversity Impacts:

1. Globally Freshwater Biodiversity is declining faster than any other ecosystem with an 83% decline in freshwater mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fishes since 1970.
2. Nitrogen pollution costs the European Union from €70 to €320 billion a year and over 80% of EU agricultural nitrogen emissions to water are linked to animal agriculture.
3. Over 50% of Irish estuaries, lakes and rivers fail to meet Good Environmental Status.
4. Ireland’s Farm Animals produce 50 times more waste than the human population.  This waste is spread untreated on our land polluting its streams, rivers, and lakes.
5. 30% of Ireland’s 170,000 private wells are estimated to be contaminated by E. coli.
6. Ireland has the highest rate of groundwater VTEC (verotoxigenic E. coli) contamination in Europe (EFSA, 2016).  VTEC is a type of the bacterium E. coli. that can be fatal.
7. 97% of the water we use is embodied in products (87% in food).  A plant based agricultural system would reduce Ireland’s Agricultural Water Footprint by 50%.

Antibiotic and Pesticide Use in Irish Agriculture

1. Globally human medicine accounted for 40,000 tonnes of antibiotic use in 2013 while Animal Agriculture and Aquaculture accounted for 131,000 tonnes or 76% of antibiotic use worldwide.
2. In the EU, 33,000 people die annually due to infections caused by resistant bacteria, costing an estimated €1.5 billion each year.
3. Two thirds of antibiotics sold in Ireland are administered by farmers. 
4. 103.4 tonnes of veterinary antibiotics were sold in Ireland in 2016.
5. 3,135 tonnes of pesticide/herbicide/fungicide active ingredients were sold in Ireland in 2016.
6. When you eat meat and dairy in Ireland you are eating products from animals that have been fed Genetically Modified Maize and Soy.

Income, Subsidies and Employment in Irish Agriculture:

1. In 2016 Ireland had €13.2 billion (11%) of exports and €9 billion (12%) of imports of agri-food products.  By comparison our total fuel imports amount to €4.7 Billion.
2. Globally there are an estimated $0.5 trillion of agricultural subsidies for animal agriculture.  In Europe between 69% (€28.5 billion) and 79% (€32.6 billion) of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) direct payments is for animal agriculture.
3. There are 137,500 farms in Ireland.  Large farms account for 4 Mha and small farms for 0.46 Mha.  40,800 large farms earn less than €10,000 a year and 43,600 small farms earn an average of under €3,000.  So 62% of all farms earn a FFI that is well below the poverty line. 
4. The average Large Farm Family Income (FFI) for 2018 was €23,306.  On average 74% of income was Subsidies with an average payment per farm of €17,292.
5. In 2018 73% (68,342) of large farms occupying 2.54 Mha received 113-158% of their income from subsidies.  These farms earned 22-38% of the average industrial wage.  78% of large farms were in receipt of an off-farm income source.
6. In 2018 Direct payments account for 111% of FFI in the Border, 106% in the West, 95% in the Midlands region. 
7. In 2018, there were only 30,000 Viable large farms in Ireland on 1.28 Mha.
8. Small Farms received 173 – 219% of FFI from subsidies in 2015.  88% of small farms were in receipt of an off-farm income source. 
9. In 2013 average Income for Small Farms (2018 – 32% of farms ) was under €3,000.
10. In 2017 primary agriculture employed 101,227 people (5% of the workforce) and food processing a further 46,712 (2.3% of the workforce). 
11. A third of farm holders are over 65 years of age.  The average farmer age is 56.  Only 5% of farmers are under 35 years of age.
12. Beef and sheep production make up 82% of all farms and occupy 70% of agricultural land (3.1 Mha).  These farms receive an average of 113 - 219% of their income from subsidies across both large (2018) and small (2013) farms.

Food Security:

1. Globally 83% of Agricultural land is used for animal agriculture producing only 18% of food calories consumed (Poore and Nemczek, 2018).  60% of agricultural land is used for beef production producing only 2% of food calories consumed.
2. The global meat and dairy food system converts 8.2 billion tonnes of feed and fodder to 0.46 billion tonnes of animal products.  This wastes six times the FAO’s current global food waste estimate of 1.3 billion tonnes.
3. 1,103.4 million tonnes of animal feed were produced globally in 2018.  This could feed 5.6 billion people.  The World Food Programme purchases just 3 million tonnes of food each year for all its programmes.
4. “The Industrial Food Chain uses at least 75% of the world’s agricultural resources but provides food to less than 30% of the world’s people.”
5. The Irish agricultural land area under Tillage has dropped by 75% since 1851.  Historically Ireland’s farmers have already succeeded in growing grains, legumes and vegetables on a large scale.  Ireland’s land and climate is suitable for a highly productive plant based agricultural system.
6. Over the last century Irish crop yields per hectare have increased by approx. 300%.
7. In 2017 Ireland produced enough food to feed 23.3 million people on 4.9Mha.  This consisted of plant based food calories for 2.7 million on 1.5% of the land and animal based food calories to feed 20.6 million people (on 98.5% of the land).
8. In 2017 Ireland fed enough food calories for 127 million people to farm animals who produced enough calories to feed 20.6 million people – wasting 85% of the calories.
9. A plant-based diet can feed 31-47 times more people than a diet of beef - based on Irish Agricultural Yields for 2017.
10. Using 88% of the current land area we could produce enough plant based food calories to feed 150 million people (a 640% increase in food calorie output).
11. 1.7 Mha would produce enough plant based food calories for 70 million people (a 300% increase in food calorie output) based on 2017 average yields.
12. Irish meat and dairy production converts 47 million tonnes of feed and fodder to approx. 2 million tonnes of meat, dairy and eggs.  This is 34 times more food waste than the current Irish EPA National food waste estimate of 1.3 million tonnes.
13. Ireland annual animal feed imports could provide enough food for 15 million people.

Economic Security :

1. In Europe between 2005 and 2013, 3.7 million farms ceased to exist, a drop of 26% in eight years, (from 14.4 million to 10.7 million).  In Ireland between 1991 and 2016 there has been a drop of 33k farms (19% in 25 years) leaving 137,500 farms in 2016. 
2. 73% of the Large Farms in Ireland are cattle and sheep farms whose FFI is 22-38% of the industrial wage. 
3. 44% (40,800) of large farms earn less than €10,000 a year. 
4. In 2015, average income for 52,300 (43,600 in 2018) small farms was under €3,000.
5. 62% of all farms earn a FFI that is well below the poverty line.
6. A third of farm holders are over 65 years of age.  The average farmer age is 56.  Only 5% of farmers are under 35 years of age.
7. A 2 ha plant based family farm in Cork produces an income of €35,000/ha/year.
8. This small plant based family farm produces a per hectare income that is 90-125 times the income for sheep and beef farms in Ireland and 33 times the average per hectare income of dairy farms and 50 times for Tillage farms.

Climate Change and Agriculture:

1. Globally agriculture directly contributes about 15–23% of all GHG emissions, which is comparable to transportation.  But including all food system processes and food waste then the total contribution is 29%. 
2. A vegan diet would reduce the EU’s agricultural emissions by 70%.
3. Ireland currently generates 60 million tonnes (Mt) of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO₂ eq) and Irish agriculture 20 Mt of CO₂ eq.
4. Ireland is legally bound by the Paris Climate Agreement to a 40% reduction in EU-wide emissions by 2030 compared to 1990.
5. A VAS (Vegan Agricultural System) would reduce Irish agricultural emissions by 17 Mt to 43 Mt per year.
6. By converting 2.8 Mha to forest and native grasslands and wetlands the total sequestered is estimated to be about 15 Mt of CO₂ eq/yr.  Ireland’s Total Emissions would drop to 28 Mt per Year – a reduction of 53%.
7. The Global carbon sequestration potential of reverting 41% of current grasslands and pasturelands to native forests was estimated to be 265 Billion Tonnes (Gt) of Carbon (C) (on 19.6 MKm² of land area).  This is greater than the 240 GtC that has been added to the atmosphere since the industrial era began, showing that a global vegan transition has the potential to fully reverse climate change. 
8. The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Investment Outlook states that $53 trillion in cumulative investment in energy supply and in energy efficiency is required to 2035 to get the world onto a 2°C emissions path.  A global transition to Vegan Agriculture with reforestation is by far the most cost effective way to sequester carbon dioxide and stabilise the climate system.
9. A 40% reduction in Ireland’s fossil fuel emissions will cost an estimated €35 billion up to 2030.  However with a transition to a VAS, Ireland could use existing agricultural subsidies to reduce our emissions by 53% without needing any increased taxes.

Health Impacts and Benefits of a Vegan Agricultural System:

1. Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of ill health worldwide, with 800 million people hungry, 2 billion malnourished and a further 2 billion overweight or obese. 
2. Globally dietary changes towards a plant based diet can prevent approximately 11 million deaths per year, 19% to 24% of total deaths among adults. A global transition to a Vegan Diet would also save more than US$1 trillion in costs per year.

The Future of Food

1. Globally small farms feed over 70% of people with less than 25% of the resources – including land, water and fossil fuels.  Globally the Industrial Food Chain uses at least 75% of the agricultural resources but provides food to less than 30% of people.
2. There are over 600,000 Vegans, Vegetarians and people reducing meat in Ireland.
3. The Netherlands’ agri-food exports are nearly seven times Ireland’s agri-food exports on less than half (40%) of Ireland’s agricultural land.  Over half of the Netherlands’ exports are plants based foods.
4. Legumes are currently produced on only 1.5% of the arable land in Europe compared with 14.5% on a worldwide basis.
5. In Ireland plant based foods produce 10-20 times more protein per hectare than beef.
6. According to the Rodale 30 Year Farm System Study Organic yields match conventional yields, build soil organic matter, use 45% less energy, produce 40% less greenhouse gases, and are more profitable than conventional.
7. A Global Study found that, “Organic agriculture can feed the world with lower environmental impacts.  If food waste is reduced and arable land is not used to produce animal feed, then ‘land use under organic agriculture remains below’ the current area of farmland.” 
8. A vegan-organic farm can generate 868% more income than conventional and 421% more income than organic agriculture practices per kilogram of produce.

Overall report recommendations

Global Legal Structure

1. An Internationally binding Declaration of the Rights of Other Species needs to be passed that enshrines the rights of other species to live free from harm and violence.  This would provide the ethical underpinning for a non-violent society in harmony with all other species.
2. Globally, A Framework Convention on Food Systems would provide the global legal structure and direction for countries to act on improving their food systems so that they become engines for better health, environmental sustainability, greater equity, and ongoing prosperity.

Payments for Ecosystem Services:

1. We recommend that farmers are paid for ecosystem services including biodiversity restoration, carbon sequestration, flood reduction, water purification, pollination, etc. 
2. We recommend that approx. 55,000 large farms would transition to payments for ecosystem services.  The remaining 37,720 large farms would focus on plant based food producion.  This would reduce the agricultural land area for large farms from 4 Mha to 1.7 Mha - a reduction of 2.3 Mha.
3. We would recommend that all small farms are converted from animal agriculture to payment for ecosystem services.  This would see the conversion of 43,600 small farms to ecological enterprises.  This would potentially free up a further 0.46 Mha of land for restoration of native forestry, grasslands and wetlands.
4. Dairy farmers would need to transition from Dairy to generating income from plant based food, fibre and fuel crops.  Appropriate subsidies and technical and training supports would be needed to ensure that income levels are maintained and enhanced.

Economic Security:

1. When farmers can receive their current CAP payments as Payments for Ecosystem Services this would increase the income of large beef and sheep farmers as follows (based on 2018 figures):

• Cattle rearing farmers from an average income of €8,318 to the subsidy of €13,109.
• Cattle Other farmers from an average income of €14,408 to the subsidy of €16,257.
• Sheep farmers from an average income of €13,769 to the subsidy of €18,812.

    2. When small farms transition to payment for ecosystem services this could potentially increase the income of            small land owners from approx. €3,000 to €5,500. 

CAP Payments:

1. We recommend the elimination of subsidies for meat and dairy production and for animal feeds and instead subsidies should be directed towards plant based foods for direct human consumption and ecological restoration.
2. In Ireland a total of €1.07 Billion of subsidies would be allocated to payment for ecosystem services.  €730 million in subsidies would be paid to the remaining 37,720 farmers providing a subsidy of €19,350 on conversion to plant based agriculture.
3. We would recommend that no CAP payment should exceed €50,000 per farm.  “Only 1.4% of Irish farmers get payments over €50,000 but they account for almost 10% of all such payments.”  This would allow the distribution of €180 million to smaller farmers.  Very large profitable farms should not be subsidised.

Forestry:

1. Farmers would be paid to convert 1.7 Mha of land to native broadleaf forests to reach the European average of 34% (2.5 Mha) forest cover.

Native Grasslands, Meadows, Bog and Wetlands:

1. Farmers would be paid to convert a further 1.1 Mha to native grasslands, meadows, and bog and wetlands.

End the use of anti-biotics in Irish food production:

1. A transition to a VAS will eliminate the 103,400 Kg of vetinary antibiotics being used annually for meat and dairy production.

Food Security:

1. Using 38% of the current agricultural land, 1.7 Mha, we could produce enough plant based food calories for 70 million people –  a 300% increase in food calorie output.
2. We would no longer import animal feeds with sufficient calories to feed 15 million people.

Organic, Plant-based Agriculture:

1. The conversion to an organic plant-based agricultural system will prevent 3.135 million kg of pesticide active ingredients being sprayed annually into the environment.

Renewable Energy:

1. Ireland’s Farmers / Land owners will play a significant role in Ireland’s transition to renewable energy – primarily wind and solar with some small scale biomass for local combined heat and power schemes.  In the future, payments may not be tied to land area but to ensuring that all rural landowners are getting a living wage for contributing to meeting the state’s legal and ethical obligations to current and to future generations.

Agricultural Emissions Reduction:

1. A VAS would reduce agricultural emissions by 17 Mt to 43 MTonnes per year.  The total sequestered by converting 2.8 Mha to native forest, grasslands and wetlands is estimated to be about 15 Mt of CO₂ /yr.  Ireland’s Total Emissions would drop to 28 MTonnes per Year – a reduction of 53%.

Land Use:

1. Overall, total Irish agricultural land use should be reduced from 4.5 Mha to 1.7 Mha, a reduction of 2.8 Mha.

Vegan Food Production Systems:

1. Re-establishing a large horticultural sector while expanding tillage and field crops.
2. Large scale investment in the development of plant based meat and dairy alternative products.
3. Agricultural Education, Research Facilities and Support Services for a VAS.
4. Substituting imported foods that can be grown in Ireland.
5. Government and Private Sector Investment in high-tech greenhouses.
6. Trade protection to allow Irish plant based markets to become competitive.

By James O' Donovan, Researcher Network member.

 Full report available here

The views expressed by our Research News contributors are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.