Ms Deirdre Fay:

One of the research projects, called the re-peat project, aims to acquire a high-quality version of the complete series of the old bog commissioners' maps and other available peat maps and carry out extensive field visit verification of map boundaries. It will utilise image classification tools and high-resolution imagery to identify, with a high degree of precision, peatlands that are under agricultural management. This will provide us with new baseline data on the cohort of farmed land on peat soils.

The second project, called the farm peat project, relates to farm payments for ecological and agricultural transitions. This project is developing a locally led, innovative, results-based farm scheme for farmers who manage lands that surround some of Ireland's remaining raised bogs. The programme will reward farmers for improved management of habitats on peat soils, along with other landscape features such as eskers, field boundaries and water courses.

In addition, under the forthcoming CAP strategic plan and the suite of agri-environmental and climate measures it contains, there will be a results-based action relating to the extensive management of wet grassland on peat soils. It is targeted at grassland next to designated raised bog habitats. Farmers will be incentivised to retain soil wetness, as measured through a set of wet grassland indicator species. This will contribute to protecting soil carbon pools and reducing carbon loss. These are some of the initiatives on peat soil.