Litir Chumhdaigh
I am a member of the Kildare Communities 4 Climate Action Group and I support all of the comments and suggestions made in the Kildare Climate Action Linkage Group submission. I am not copying their full submission here would like it to be taken that I have made the same points. I also support the NPP submission.
In particular relation to biodiversity and in summary I would like to make the following points:
1.We need more ecological expertise in Kildare Co Co
2.The international IUCN definition of biodiversity needs to be used and clearly distinguished from 'green infrastructure'.
3.The Biodiversity crisis needs to be acknowledged and addressed in the Plan
4.Meaningful Biodiversity actions need to be informed and implemented across relevant areas in all chapters
5.The Strategic Vision and Overall aim of the Plan need to be revised to acknowledge and address the biodiversity crisis in Kildare
I would like to point how difficult it is to read the CDP and to make a submission. The CDP is too long and difficult to navigate.
I am disappointed the CDP still does not reflect the urgency of the Climate and Biodiversity crisis despite aims to have these central to the CDP.
With current global instability, Covid pandemic, expected further instability and possible collapse of some systems it is surprising that there is no reference to any disaster planning or community resilience building in the CDP. The risks and threats that might lead to social disruption are growing in magnitude. Growing dependence and complexity contribute to the creation of new threats. In order to manage these risks, it is necessary to implement a comprehensive approach at various scale levels. In addition, the various levels should complement one another, as complexity is increasingly interwoven. I note that the National Framework for Major Emergency Management is from 2006 and that while this out of date it is also limited in breadth of the threats it addresses,
I suggest that the CDP include an objective to support towns and communities in carrying out disaster planning and in preparing longer term plans for resilient sustainable communities. These are in place in several European countries.
While I welcome the opportunity to comment on the CDP, I would also like to note that I found the CDP somewhat inaccessible, too long and difficult to navigate the way it was set up into lots of different chapters. I'm sure this impacts the willingness of members of the public to engage with it.
I am a member of the Kildare Communities 4 Climate Action Group and I support all of the comments and suggestions made in the Kildare Climate Action Linkage Group submission. I am not copying their full submission here would like it to be taken that I have made the same points. Please read this as applying to all chapters and to Volume 2
I note the points made in 9.4 that there has been a reduction in agricultrual employment, reduction in number of farms, increase in average size of farms and that 52% of all farm households have off farm income.
9.4 Agriculture/ Agri-Food Sector Over the past number of years there has been a significant fall off in agricultural employment. This is indicative of the changing nature of the rural economy. The total area of land farmed in Kildare is 113,765 ha, comprising 67% of the overall area of the county. Since 1991 the number of farms has reduced from 3,251 to 2,578 in 2010. This represents a reduction of 20% compared to a 17% reduction for the state.
These figures indicate that whilst the number of farms may have decreased over the period, their average size increased marginally, suggesting that consolidation of farms may have taken place, to create larger, more viable / diversified landholdings employing larger numbers of people. Teagasc National Farm Survey 2019 shows that over half (52%) of all farm households have off-farm income.
This trend is worrying and does not bode well for the future of our farms or for food security.
I would like to see support in the CDP for small family farms, measures to reduce intensification and consolidation of farms, measures to promote a fair income for farmers, promotion of local food growing, food education, and an acknowledgementof the food inse urity situation in Ireland. Ireland currently imports 75% of its food.
See An Taisce submission to the Draft Agri Food Strtegy to 2030 https://www.antaisce.org/submission-on-the-draft-agri-food-2030-strategy-and-environmental-assessments - extract "Here in Ireland, a productivist model of food production – characterised by intensification, concentration, and specialisation – has come to dominate farming. There has been a continued failure to align food production with environmental protection and legal obligations.9, 10 The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has supported this model by subsidising food production over the other services that farmland can provide (such as regulation of soil and water quality, carbon sequestration, support for biodiversity and cultural services). Despite numerous and on-going reforms, the current CAP policy framework has failed to drive sustainability and environmental protection. Since its establishment in 1962, the CAP has driven the intensification of agriculture and has promoted the simplification and specialisation of agricultural ecosystems. This, in turn, has led to profound biodiversity loss land degradation, including over-grazing, and climate change. Limited funding goes to support climate-friendly and biodiverse farming regions.11 It is also well recognised that CAP spending exacerbates income inequality within agriculture. CAP has not benefited the majority of farmers, with larger farms (that are more prone to intensification)"
I suggest amending RD012 as follows
RD 012 Encourage farmers markets and local food hubs for the sale of locally produced goods at appropriate locations in the towns and villages across the county.
I suggest the CDP includes an objective to promote Community Supported Agriculture CSA across the county
I suggest the CDP includes an objective to organise access to allotments in every town in the county