Government approval of the Agriculture, Forestry and Seafood Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan 2025 places new emphasis on the growing risks facing Ireland’s marine and seafood sectors.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, said the plan strengthens national preparedness for climate impacts. “Agriculture, forestry and the marine are at the forefront of climate impacts,” he said, citing recent events such as Storm Éowyn.
The plan outlines actions to boost resilience across primary production, including measures for coastal protection, aquaculture adaptation and improved forecasting for marine conditions.
The document highlights hazards such as extreme winds, rough seas and rising temperatures, which have increasingly disrupted fishing operations and coastal infrastructure.
Adaptive measures already in place include Irish Coast Guard services, marine planning frameworks, research programmes and enhanced weather and marine forecasting systems.
The plan also details risks across the broader agri-food system, from forestry windthrow to drought-driven fodder shortages. It sets out strategies in water and soil management, forest diversification, plant and animal health, and infrastructure reinforcement.
Minister Heydon said the aim is to build “sustainable and climate resilient sectors” capable of adapting to future risks.
Case studies in the plan illustrate how changing weather patterns are affecting rural and coastal communities, including impacts on disease spread, wildfire risk, water quality, wave modelling and sea level trends.
The full plan is available in the published annex.
