Ireland overly relies on imported fruit and vegetables which could be hit by climate change
Ireland's Climate Change Advisory Council warns that the country's heavy reliance on imported fruits and vegetables makes its food supply vulnerable to climate-driven crop failures abroad. The report suggests increasing domestic horticulture production to improve food security.
Why it matters
This highlights the intersection of global climate change, supply chain fragility, and national food security policy.
IRELAND’S RELIANCE ON importing fruits and vegetables means we are vulnerable to climate change causing crops abroad to fail, the State’s climate watchdog has warned.
The impacts of the climate crisis overseas on crops pose a risk to Ireland’s food system, which relies heavily on imports for fruit and vegetables, a new report details.
The Climate Change Advisory Council has published its annual review of the agriculture and land use sector, tracking progress made on climate action and identifying threats and problems for the sector thrown up by climate change.
Currently, around 83% of the fruit and vegetables eaten in Ireland are imported, the report outlines.
If crops fail elsewhere due to impacts of the world’s escalating climate crisis (such as heatwave, drought or flooding), Ireland could be left trying to cope with the sudden disruption.
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