Recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy has led to the decoupling of direct payments to farmers from production. This policy change is expected to make farmers’ production decisions more market oriented as their subsidy revenue maximization objectives become profit maximizing...

As part of its continuing commitment to address the causes of climate change, the EU has agreed reduction targets for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to be achieved by 2020. In the case of Ireland the target is a reduction of 20 percent relative to the 2005 level. Agriculture is a major source of...