International comparisons, domestic influences and where to next? The case of Irish meat consumption.

Meat consumption internationally is driven by many common factors. While this broadly results in similar temporal trends, diversity in how these factors play out locally is evident. Drawing on secondary data sources, this paper illustrates this by comparing Irish meat consumption with other geographies.

Full Inversion Tillage (FIT) during pasture renewal as a potential management strategy for enhanced carbon sequestration and storage in Irish grassland soils.

It has been suggested that the sequestration of CO by agricultural soils offers a means to reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations and in turn mitigate the impacts of climate change. Carbon sequestration by grassland soils, which account for more than 60% of agricultural land use in Ireland, could contribute to a successful net reduction of atmospheric GHG emissions in accordance with the COP21 Paris Agreement. However, current estimates of soil carbon sequestration are variable and it is likely that many permanent grasslands are close to saturation.

Animal food products: policy, market and social issues and their influence on demand and supply of meat.

The present paper aims to contribute to the contentious debate regarding the role of meat as part of a sustainable diet. It uses secondary data to examine the patterns of meat consumption across the globe, and drawing on academic and grey literature, it outlines some of the policy, market and social trends and issues influencing demand and supply of meat. It also presents an overview of the scientific evidence base regarding the pros and cons of meat consumption.

Underestimating neonicotinoid exposure: how extent and magnitude may be affected by land-use change.

Potential detrimental impacts of neonicotinoids on non-target organisms, especially bees, have been subject to a wide debate and the subsequent ban of three neonicotinoids by the EU. While recent research has fortified concerns regarding the effects of neonicotinoids on ecosystem service (ES) providers, potential impacts have been considered negligible in systems with a relatively small proportion of arable land and thus lower the use of these pesticides. In this paper we argue that there is not sufficient information to assess magnitude and extent of neonicotinoid application, as well as potential non-target impacts on ES providers in grass-dominated systems with frequent land-use change.