Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are starting immediately to set up the cross-departmental group to design that. It is one of our priorities. It is integral to moving from where we are on a more accelerated basis.

The Climate Change Advisory Council has indicated that it is doing work on agriculture and land use, and we look forward to the outcome of that. It will be integral to the design of the Common Agricultural Policy which is also in evolution in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. There is no doubt that land use and how we manage land can make a significant difference. Even in this iteration of the plan that will run until 2030, land use, agriculture and forestry will contribute more than 40% to the amount of abatement, including the legacy of the forestry we already have.

It is really important that we make decisions in this regard and there will be big changes in farm practices, as well as diversification over time and an ambition to nearly double the amount of forestry that we are planting. Delivering in those areas will be integral to the plan.