Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses. I have a number of questions. First, on the area of forestry on peatlands, I agree it is not the way to go and that it is more beneficial to rewet but I would like to hear the witnesses' views around wind farms on some of the peatlands as well. We have seen instances, particularly on State land such as the mid-Shannon wilderness park located on land owned by Bord na Móna, where it will be necessary to continue to pump the water out to put the wind farm in, where it would have a bigger impact in terms of carbon emissions reductions if those areas were allowed to rewild. We all agree that we need more onshore wind as well as harnessing our offshore potential but is there any mapping for that in order that we are not putting wind farms in areas where a better climate impact could be had by rewetting those peatlands?

I have a question for representatives from Teagasc regarding the knowledge transfer and the work they are doing with farmers to teach them about the benefits of carbon farming into the future. Do they have concerns that misinformation is being put out by bad-faith actors, particularly around the nature of restoration directive at an EU level and if so, how that is impacting on their work? They are trying to encourage farmers to go down the road of carbon farming, yet then we have others saying what the EU is doing will be the decimation of agricultural Ireland.