The Government has signed off on the Agriculture, Forestry and Seafood Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan 2025, a move welcomed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, as a key step in bolstering Ireland’s readiness for climate impacts.

The plan, prepared under the National Adaptation Framework (2024), sets out how Ireland will prepare for and respond to climate-related risks such as flooding, rising temperatures, increased precipitation, fodder shortages, droughts and severe storms across primary production and the wider agri-food system.

Minister Heydon said: "Agriculture, forestry and the marine are at the forefront of climate impacts, and the events of recent years including Storm Éowyn and the challenge of avian influenza have shown the urgent need for climate resilient systems. Adaptation is about protecting livelihoods, safeguarding our natural resources, and ensuring that Ireland’s primary sectors can continue to thrive in a changing climate."

The 2025 plan outlines a strategy to strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability in farming, forestry and seafood, identifying the main climate threats and prioritising actions to protect jobs, maintain competitiveness and safeguard natural resources. Recent extremes underline the need to move quickly, including Storm Éowyn, which damaged around 26,000 hectares of forestry; higher temperatures and heat stress affecting animal welfare, productivity and grass growth; severe flooding that disrupts farmland and infrastructure; prolonged droughts causing fodder shortages and reduced yields; and marine storms and rough seas that affect fishing operations and coastal assets.

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While primary producers are on the frontline, the document stresses that adaptation must be addressed across the whole value chain. It proposes practical steps spanning soil and water management, forest diversification, animal and plant health measures, coastal protection and adaptation in aquaculture.

Extreme winds are highlighted as a cross-cutting hazard. In agriculture, potential damage to horticultural buildings and on-farm infrastructure would be mitigated through stronger structural design standards, access to Government and EU funding via schemes such as the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS), and the development of insurance mechanisms to help farmers manage weather-related losses.

For forestry, measures include updated forest management guidance, reforestation and afforestation efforts, satellite monitoring and other technologies, alongside research and innovation to boost resilience, improve soil stabilisation and introduce tree species better able to withstand high winds.

In the seafood sector, the plan notes the challenges posed by more intense winds and waves. Risk reduction efforts already in place include support from the Irish Coast Guard Service, alignment with the National Marine Planning Framework, and enhanced research, monitoring, and weather and marine forecasting capabilities.

He added: "In addition to reducing emissions, we must ensure that our food production systems are resilient and capable of adapting to future climate risks. The actions outlined in this plan will help ensure that our sectors remain sustainable and competitive in the years ahead.

"The Agriculture, Forestry and Seafood Sectoral Adaptation Plan 2025 represents an important next step in building strong, sustainable and climate resilient sectors, well placed to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by our changing climate."

The plan also features case studies showing how changing weather patterns are already affecting rural and coastal communities, and the measures being used to build resilience. Topics examined include the impact of higher temperatures on disease spread, conservation responses, evolving wildfire risks, water quality, and wave modelling and sea-level change.