An Independent TD says 'fancy' words around the issue of carbon emissions in Ireland will still mean cuts to farming incomes.

Kerry Deputy Michael Healy-Rae was speaking ahead of agreement of the Government's Climate Action Plan, which will see the national herd reduced.

He says Ireland's national herd has actually fallen since 1973, and farmers have improved farm practices "dramatically".

And he told The Pat Kenny Show farmers will see their ability to make a living severely affected .

"They see their incomes under attack.

"If you take a person like yourself... the way you live your life will be looking to be changed.

"In other words the type of house you live in, the type of car a person drives, the way they go to work - all that sort of stuff.

"But what farmers are looking at is their incomes being severely, adversely affected.

"The one touchy subject that the Government don't want to admit to is that what they're looking at is a decrease in the national herd.

"They're using this fancy, stupid word 'stabilising' the national herd - that's like a person from the HSE coming on and talking about reconfiguration of the health service.

"That means cuts".

Deputy Healy-Rae says he is not critical of Agriculture Minster Charlie McConalogue, but that the Government needs to be honest.

"But what I like to hear people doing is I like to hear people calling a spade a spade and telling the truth.

"If they're talking about cutting emissions, and if they're saying that methane is the cause of it, how can they say they're going to cut it without cutting the national herd.

"And if that's what they're intending on doing, come out and be honest with the farmers and tell the people what they're hoping to do".

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has confirmed the national herd will be reduced under the the Climate Action Plan, which is expected to be agreed at Cabinet this week.

He told Newstalk on Monday a key issue is to protect the Irish family farm model.

"Agriculture will take longer - but we can and will deliver a better agricultural system as we change it.

"The national herd will be smaller and the key metric is can we protect the Irish family farm model?"

Minister Ryan says the current model "is not serving Irish farmers and certainly not the Irish family farm", Mr Ryan said.