Farming

Varadkar wants EU billions to pay farmers for climate actions

Taoiseach says a fund is needed to compensate farmers to meet targets in the EU’s proposed Nature Restoration Law, as ‘it won’t happen otherwise quite frankly’

Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar: after the Environmental Protection Agency was criticised for advising people to eat less red meat for climate and health reasons, the pair said it was sound scientific advice. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

Leo Varadkar will push the EU to establish a new fund for farmers to restore nature which would likely be worth billions, but has said that they must "listen to the science“ on environmental issues.

It comes as Varadkar and Eamon Ryan, the Green Party leader, both gave their views on a controversy which emerged last week when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was criticised for advising people to eat less red meat for climate ...