Decoupling Emissions from Economic Activity 2020

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Economic Activity of the Agriculture Sector

Figure 3.1 shows trends in greenhouse gas emissions, gross value added at constant (2020) prices, and employment numbers for the Agriculture sector from 2010 to 2020. From 2014 to 2020, gross value added at constant prices was higher relative to 2010 than greenhouse gas emissions were. This shows that an element of relative decoupling was achieved in these years as gross value added increased at a greater rate than emissions.

Table 3.1 shows that in 2020, 96% of greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector were due to agricultural activity, including emissions from livestock. Emissions due to fuel combustion were 3% of the total, while emissions associated with electricity consumption were a further 1%. In 2020, emissions from agriculture were 38% of total greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland, compared with 32% in 2010.

A fuller picture of work and employment in the Agriculture sector is provided in Table 3.2, which shows data on the Agriculture labour force in 2020. These data, from the CSO Census of Agriculture 2020, show that there were 278,580 farm workers in 2020. This figure includes farm holders, their family members who did some farmwork during the year, and regular non-family workers. Many of the family farm workers were not working full-time on the farm, hence there was a considerably lower corresponding figure in terms of annual work units of 154,304, which was 55% of the total number of farm workers.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Livestock Units

Figure 3.2 shows the relationship between livestock units (cattle and sheep) and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. Livestock units are calculated by applying different coefficients to different species and ages of livestock, based on the feeding requirements of each animal type. Relative to 2010, greenhouse gas emissions and numbers of cattle and sheep in terms of livestock units showed very similar trends between 2010 and 2020.

Table 3.3 contains data on total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and on livestock units with a breakdown between cattle and sheep. 

Interactions between Agriculture and Other NACE Sectors

Table 3.4 shows final uses of agricultural, forestry and fishing products. The main use in 2019 was by the food manufacturing sector (NACE 10) with 35% of the output of the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors used as inputs by the food manufacturing sector. Over half (55%) of the output of the food manufacturing sector was exported. A further 17% of the monetary value of final uses of agricultural, forestry and fishing products was used by NACE divisions 11 and 12 (manufacture of beverages and tobacco products).

The table shows that the value added by other NACE sectors to the outputs from the Agriculture sector is important when evaluating the economic and employment importance of the sector.