By James O’Donovan
This chapter looks at how much land is currently being used for animal farming globally, in the EU, and in Ireland. It also highlights some of the historical changes in agricultural land use in Ireland and the growth of commercial forestry plantations since the 1920’s. Finally this section describes the impacts of agriculture on species, ecosystems and soil health and the potential for biodiversity to recover as native forests, grasslands, and wetlands are restored and agricultural poisons eliminated.
