Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the committee for the invitation and the opportunity to discuss the agriculture and land use, land use change and forestry chapter of the Climate Change Advisory Council’s annual review. We have binding commitments to deliver on reducing emissions, through the Paris Agreement and as a member of the EU, and at home through our targets set out in the climate Act. The Government has committed to a whole-of-economy 51% reductions target by 2030 and to reducing by 25% the agriculture sector’s emissions by 2030. In response, Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2023 sets outs how we can accelerate the actions and measures required to respond to the climate crisis, ensuring climate solutions are at the centre of Ireland’s social and economic development. The climate action plan commits the agriculture sector to strong climate action and I have introduced measures to achieve abatement potential in the agriculture sector.

The Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, strategic plan, with a budget of €9.8 billion, will support farmers to transition to more sustainable practices while also supporting family farm incomes. In addition, we have provided a budget of €1.5 billion for the new agri-environment scheme, ACRES, a fivefold increase in funding for organic farming to €256 million, designed to triple to 7.5% the area of utilised agricultural area for organics, and €260 million to improve the carbon efficiency of the suckler herd through genetic improvement.

I also committed €43 million for a major genotyping programme for Irish cattle in May last. This programme will enhance the environmental sustainability, health and productivity of Irish beef and dairy herds. This is a voluntary genotyping programme, which is available to both beef and dairy herd owners, and will run over a five-year period from 2023 until 2027. It represents a significant step towards genotyping of the national bovine herd. By harnessing genetic data, the programme will empower Irish farmers to make informed breeding decisions, optimise herd management and animal welfare and contribute towards Ireland’s climate action targets.

The implementation of a low methane emitting breeding programme has significant potential to harness the genetic variation for methane emissions that exists within the national herd. This, in turn, will bring about permanent and cumulative reductions in the methane output of future generations of livestock. The results of the research also highlight the potential to breed more environmentally sustainable animals while not having a negative impact on food production. Progress continues to be made in relation to feed additives, which will have a significant positive impact on reducing emissions.

This year has seen the introduction of a national fertiliser database. This will allow my Department to collect a range of information on fertiliser products as well as details of fertiliser economic operators and end users. It will also support farmers in reducing usage and engaging with industry-led sustainability measurement. Nitrogen reduction is also supported through the continuation of aid for low-emission slurry spreading, LESS, equipment. Over 5,100 applications have been paid in full under the LESS measure of the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 since its launch in 2015. From 2023, funding for this measure will increase from 40% to 60% under the recently launched TAMS 3 scheme. Alongside reducing the chemical fertiliser allowances for farmers under nitrates legislation, we are encouraging the adoption of protected urea, which will help to achieve ammonia emissions targets in addition to greenhouse gas emissions reductions. These changes can have benefits for the environment as well as profitability at farm level through a reduction in input costs.

My Department is also supporting the taking and analysis of up to 90,000 samples through phase 2 of the soil sampling and analysis programme over the next 12 to 18 months. Phase 2 will build on data gathered during the initial programme by providing valuable information to farmers to inform decisions that promote the health of their soils.

Nutrient management and soil health are central to achieving economic and environmental sustainability on farms. The Department has allocated €8.8 million to this programme, on top of €2.5 million for a multispecies sward scheme next year. These supports will enable farmers to reduce chemical fertiliser inputs, an economic benefit to the farmer and an environmental benefit to society while maintaining food production.

We know that some livestock farmers will take up diversification options that are provided as part of our climate transformation including areas such as organics, forestry, tillage and the production of renewables. However, given the efficiency gains that continue to be made at farm level, I remain confident that we will continue to reduce emissions in the agrifood sector without reducing our agrifood output through the following measures. On agri-centric biomethane production, it is estimated that up to 160,000 ha of land could be needed for an expanded AD industry of 5.7 TWh, to grow feedstock of 1.3 million tonnes of dry matter assuming 8 tonnes of grass dry matter per hectare. A strategy to guide the development of this sector, co-led by my Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate Action and Communications is being finalised for publication shortly. Indeed, it is being chaired by Mr. Bill Callanan here, an assistant secretary in my Department, in terms of co-ordinating across Departments in the production of that strategy.

With regard to tillage, our target as set out in the climate action plan is to increase the area of land devoted to tillage production to 400,000 ha by 2030, building on an increased area of 6% in 2022 over 2021 to approximately 339,000 ha. This will help build in greater resilience and self-sufficiency in terms of feedstocks and food security. Under the food vision strategy, a group focused on tillage has been meeting under the chairmanship of Mr. Matt Dempsey to propose recommendations on delivering on this ambition.

The new organic farming scheme opened up for applications in autumn of this year and resulted in a doubling of the number of farmers farming organically. In addition, substantial advisory supports have been introduced for organic farming. The Agricultural Consultants Association has received funding from my Department last year and this year to upskill advisers and hold organic farm walks. Teagasc and my Department jointly fund the new growing organics monitor farm programme, which was launched in spring of this year and will run for five years promoting best practice at farm level.

With regard to forestry, carbon sequestration is one of a range of important services being provided by sustainably managed forests. The new forestry programme, which was launched in September 2023, as well as developing, adopting and assessing Coillte's strategic vision, will enable us to capture additional carbon dioxide in forestry, soils and wood products by 2050.

On knowledge transfer, the Teagasc signpost programme, supported by my Department, is working with Irish farmers and a partnership of over 60 partner and supporter organisations across the agrifood sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce ammonia emissions, reduce nutrient losses, enhance biodiversity and improve the efficiency of food production. A cohort of 100 signpost demonstration farms is at the centre of the signpost programme and covers all mainland-based enterprises. The objective of the signpost farms will be to employ the emerging new technologies, such as new breeding programmes and feed additives, and to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from these farms to every farm in Ireland.

With the support of my Department, Teagasc, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and Bord Bia are jointly developing a toolkit of tailored farm sustainability support and solutions for Irish farmers called AgNav. From 2024, it is targeted that 10,000 farmers will be utilising the platform each year. The platform will enable analysis at individual farm level of emissions and aid the farmer together with his or her climate adviser to identify the best measures on climate action and sustainability for implementation on his or her farm.

Critical to delivering our 2030 and 2050 commitments are science, innovation and knowledge exchange. Research supported by my Department and other public research funders will provide new tools and technologies to mitigate and offset agricultural emissions, which was profiled earlier this month at our inaugural Science into Action conference. Over the past ten years, my Department has allocated just under €60 million on climate, agri-environment and biodiversity research in agriculture. This is comprised of: €46.5 million on climate, greenhouse gas emission mitigation, adaptation, carbon sequestration, national inventories and climate-related co-benefit research; and €12.9 million on agri-environment for improving water quality and reducing ammonia emissions.

By way of practical example, in 2020 my Department provided funding of over €2 million for the establishment of a national agricultural soil carbon observatory by supplying the scientific infrastructure to measure greenhouse gas fluxes from soils under agricultural management. This technology will enable researchers to assess the impact of reduced management intensity on organic soils under agricultural management which is a key action area under the 2023 climate action plan. This project comprises of 30 flux towers spread across a range of soil types, under different management regimes throughout Ireland. The project is placing Ireland very much at the forefront of EU carbon sequestration research.

My officials are collaborating closely with the Environmental Protection Agency and the relevant technical experts to enhance the projections modelling on the mitigation measures identified in the climate action plan. It is important that this collaboration ensures that gaps in the research are identified and recommendations are made for the improvement of the inventory from a forestry, agriculture and land use and land use change perspective.

I thank the Chathaoirleach and the members who will speak here today. I look forward to engaging in the question and answer session.