Climate Watchdog Warns of Risks to Irish Food System From High Import Reliance
Wednesday 9 September 2026
The Climate Change Advisory Council's latest annual review highlights Ireland's vulnerability to overseas crop failures and a severe decline in domestic commercial growers.
The Climate Change Advisory Council has warned that Ireland's high reliance on imported fruit and vegetables risks food supply disruptions from overseas crop failures.
In its latest annual review of the agriculture and land use sector, the State's climate watchdog highlighted that approximately 83% of all fruit and vegetables consumed in Ireland are currently imported. This reliance exposes the domestic food supply to sudden disruptions if overseas crops fail due to climate events such as droughts, heatwaves, or flooding.
The report also identifies a severe decline in domestic food production capacity. The number of commercial vegetable growers in Ireland has fallen from over 600 in the 1990s to fewer than 70 today.
According to the Council, this decline is driven by several economic and structural pressures, including:
- Lower market prices and retail pressures
- High start-up costs for new producers
- Labour shortages
- Intense international competition
These findings outline significant long-term challenges for the future of Irish agricultural land use and domestic food security as the impacts of the global climate crisis escalate.