Professor Mark Scott:

The Cathaoirleach is right in that there are certain things we are obliged to do, such as reduce emissions, and there are also imperatives such as those relating to biodiversity loss. We are aware there are things that must be done and we will certainly be considering those. However, it is not just about environmental policy because we are also examining how land use relates to social objectives, health, well-being and sustainable livelihoods in rural places. We are trying to look holistically – not just at how we shift climate policy but also at how that relates to sustainable farming and sustainable livelihoods in rural Ireland, for example.

To go back to what I said earlier, we should think of land use as a system with various moving parts and try to consider the interaction between them. When you map out the various influences on land use and try to write policy, a quite complex picture emerges. Our first job was to try to get on top of that. Climate obligations relating to nitrates and biodiversity targets are really at the forefront of our minds when we do this work.