Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 9 July 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Forestry Sector and Climate Action Plan: Discussion

Photo of Thomas PringleThomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

While the Minister of State mentioned climate change mitigation factors, there was very little detail regarding what is involved. Senator Lombard hit the nail on the head when he talked about buy-in among dairy farmers regarding what needs to be done. That is important. Would the Minister of State expand on the measures he proposes or is considering in the context of increasing the amount of land under forestry? It is vital that it is not all commercial forestry, which is totally different. It provides some sequestration but the trees are going to be harvested and the carbon will be released through that process.

The Minister of State outlined five factors for increasing afforestation but two of them relate to harvesting more quickly and improving the methods used rather than improving afforestation and carbon sequestration, which is what is necessary under the climate action plan. Could he talk about this and how the upcoming CAP will contribute to that because I worry about whether it will?

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