Assist struggling sheep farmers

they suffer from a free rider problem. For example, you can ask people to pay for a beautiful countryside as they would for any other good, but those that refuse to pay can’t be excluded from enjoying it. For this reason, private industry will not supply public goods and the State must ensure provision. It is argued that of all the farming types, sheep farmers punch above their weight in terms of public good provision.

Over 90pc of sheep production in Europe occurs in less favoured and upland areas. Appropriately managed grazing of sheep prevents the return of scrub; ensures that natural f lora against climate change and, in Mediterranean Europe, plays a role in the prevention of fires. All of these things combined contribute to the aesthetics of the countryside and collectively are known as ecosystem services. It is increasingly recognised in Europe that farmers should be rewarded for their provision of ecosystem services and sheep farming, because of its extensive nature and where it’s located, means it is one of the greatest providers of such services.

The Sheepmeat Forum highlighted the important role sheep farmers play in providing pubic goods for society and highlighted that these goods are under threat due to the contraction of sheep numbers and the associated abandonment of land. The forum sent a clear message to the commissioner that these non-market goods are important and farmers need to be rewarded for their provision with a new environmental payment. As the commissioner faces into a potential redesign of the Common Agricultural Policy, public goods and ecosystem services are likely to be high on his agenda.

Thia Hennessy, Professor of Agri-food Business, University College Cork