Mr. Bill Callanan:

The first thing I have to be conscious of is that there is still engagement happening at Government level in terms of what those targets are, and all I can do is articulate what are the various implications. The Deputy’s question clearly challenges us in terms of meeting that commitment on the existing range, and that is the challenge. The Climate Action Plan 2021 has identified those actions that we know we can quantify now in regard to the achievement of the commitment. It identified a range of 3.7 million tonnes CO2-equivalent to 4.2 million tonnes CO2-equivalent commensurate with the actions, which are quite significant, whether that is through changing fertiliser, reducing fertiliser or earlier slaughter, and so on, and they are all identified within that plan. We have identified the need for new technology, diversification and carbon farming to fill that gap.

Clearly, once there is a legal commitment, whatever that might be, we have a responsibility to then propose and put forward the necessary actions to deliver on that target. The EPA is identifying within that existing knowledge framework where we can get to. There is continued investment, whether it be in research or international collaboration around certain areas, and so on. For example, we know commercial feed additives are being made available internationally but they tend to suit indoor systems whereas that is not our system of production and not a direction we would like to go. However, one would hope that new technology creates the opportunity whereby some of those technologies could be applied to pastoral systems in due course, whether it is slow release-type feeding systems, boluses and so on. We have not quantified them at this stage because we do not have that scientific certainty in regard to them.