Policy and politics: How specialist farming media frame climate action

Abstract

The agriculture sector in Ireland is a leading contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and faces challenges in meeting reduction targets. The communication of climate-related information to farmers will be important in encouraging the farming community to adopt more sustainable farming practices. This study examines how a key information source - the specialist farming media in Ireland - frames the issue of climate change. It does so by analysing coverage of the release of the Irish government's 2021 Climate Action Plan, across a six-week period in three publications: the Irish Farmers Journal, the Farming Independent, and Agriland. It investigates media framings, the use of sources, and the influence of a powerful lobbying organisation, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA). We find that, when it comes to climate action measures targeted at agriculture, the Irish farming media favour policy and political frames, and largely focus on narrow policy impacts, often omitting the context and rationale for policy interventions. Broader issues concerning climate justice and political economy are also neglected. Farming coverage by the country's most popular print title adopted a more combative approach, and deployed a conflict frame with greater frequency than the other publications. Government politicians and farming organisations are the most frequently quoted sources, giving these groups the most opportunity to shape the debate. This study adds to the limited research focused on climate change coverage in specialist farming publications.