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

I thank the Chairman. I would like to go back to some of the points relating to agriculture. Mr. Treacy said that 350,000 ha of drained organic soil generate 8 million tonnes. That is a little over 5% of our land area generating this very large amount. Are there policy tools we could use in order to start to turn that negative into a positive? That would constitute a significant element of an agricultural policy, both by paying farmers to do it and also by abatement, in this regard. What should we be talking about doing in terms of biogenic methane consistent with a policy of reaching net zero emissions. In New Zealand, they are talking along the lines of a reduction of between 24% and 47%. Where do we get the offsets in Ireland to achieve that lower target?

In what area do the witnesses reckon we can most easily make progress as we seek to move from the climate plan of 2019, which, as they indicated, will deliver the previous target, to the target of 51% that we have now adopted? On what areas should our committee be focusing in the context of seeking to achieve that?