Dr. John Gilliland:

I will add to that. On sequestration rates and when we will have a scheme, it is fair to say that for the past 15 years the majority of public research went into measuring emissions, not measuring carbon sequestration. It is only in the past 18 months that this has become a public priority. When we bought Dowth in 2013, we saw a clear knowledge gap in respect of carbon stocks on-farm and the role that ruminant animals have in increasing carbon on a farm. The first thing we did in 2014 was start our base-lining. It was the first farm in the world to do aerial LiDAR surveys to measure every tree and hedge on the farm. In 2017, we measured our soil carbon as forensically as well. We have just revisited our LiDAR survey, but we have not done the compare and contrast yet. We will repeat the soils next year.

One of things we saw very quickly is that there are several really helpful things farmers can do to accelerate their carbon sequestration. We cannot tell exactly whether it is by 0.5 tonne or 0.8 tonne of carbon per hectare per year, but we can tell that it is improving and we will know better what it is. We are focusing on three key areas in sequestration and increasing carbon storage in swards. One is whether we can correct soil pH values in a mineral soil. The Food Vision 2030 document calls out the fact that only 18% of soils in Ireland are adoptable fertility, in which low pH is the biggest problem. We know that soil carbon is never permanent. It is cyclic and it sits within the soil biology. Soil biology churns better and locks up more carbon if it is more at an optimal pH in a mineral soil, at around 6.5. When we bought Dowth it was sitting at 5.4. Our first six years were to correct that deficiency, and we have improved it.