Mr. James Healy:

I thank Senator O'Sullivan for her questions. We will check the position on grassland sequestration. Things advance and changes may have happened since we first checked the position.

New Zealand was a topic of discussion at our recent committee meeting in terms of trading and the various things farmers could do to diversify such as renewable energy or solar panels. If farmers were able to sell electricity back into the grid, it would provide some opportunity for diversification. The credit for the reduction in carbon emissions would go to the energy sector as opposed to agriculture. I do not know enough about the situation in New Zealand to give a good response but the situation should be examined to ensure that agriculture receives the credit it deserves for any improvements that are made by farmers or the industry.

In terms of results-based schemes, we are the only country in the world that is measuring the carbon footprint of farms with the carbon navigator. That provides a fantastic basis for a results-based scheme where a benchmark can be set and the improvement coming from the steps a farmer has taken can be seen. That comes back to including farmers in the design of schemes. A Pillar 2 or rural development programme scheme that has been a great success is the Burren Beo scheme. Farmers were involved in the development of the scheme and their knowledge and experience was acknowledged, but the scheme also achieves the results. Benefits are provided for the farmer but the scheme also provides the benefits that were sought in other areas. It is about working together and making a collaborative effort that could point us in the right direction when it comes to some of the improvements that were mentioned.