Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Professor Boyle and wish him well. He has been with Teagasc for some time but I read the other day on Agriland that he will depart in September. I take this opportunity, in case I do not see him again, to wish him well and thank him for all his work at Teagasc. I also welcome Dr. O'Mara.

I want to stick to one issue because I know there will be a multitude of questions. I thank our guests for the paper they have submitted. I am particularly interested in carbon sequestration in woody biomass and our guests have dealt with that matter in their submission, to some extent. One of the recurring themes is the potential in terms of calibration and the significance of hedgerows. In their submission, our guests referred to increasing perennial biomass via increased adoption of forestry, agroforestry, the use of hedgerows as shelter belts and what they offer in terms of verifiable options. Our guests tell us in their report that Teagasc is doing a lot of research in this area. It is a particularly interesting area. We, in Ireland, are familiar with hedgerows. It is a significant area and the more research we have, the better. The issue was raised this morning when we were talking about CAP and environmental initiatives. We sometimes underestimate the significance of our Irish hedgerows as they relate to that area. Perhaps our guests could touch on the significance of that issue and the extent of Teagasc's work to date on it. I know work is ongoing and Teagasc has not concluded all of its research. This is an area on which I would be interested having feedback. Where are we with it now? What are our guests' plans to produce some substantial information and analysis that we can use? This is a significant area and we should not underestimate it.