Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
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Deputy Stanley has touched on some of the issues I will raise. I will group my questions and then ask one follow-up question on a different issue.

Perhaps Dr. Haughey will respond on the nitrates issue as we have heard mainly from the Department. In the IPCC report, one of the most significant changes in land use in the past 50 years has been the 800% increase in the use of nitrates. I understand the graph had to be amended to show this. I ask Dr. Haughey to explain how urgent it is to address that issue at global level. This is a huge outlier and one of the major interventions. The increase in the use of nitrates has been more than four times higher than increases or changes in any other single area. I will not ask Mr Callanan to outline again the various ameliorating measures. Is there a timeline or pathway for Ireland moving away from seeking a derogation from aspects of the nitrates regulation? We are negotiating derogations from various measures. Mr. Callanan mentioned that we had a ten-year derogation in the area of pig slurry which has expired. In general, what is the timeline for moving away from our position of seeking derogations from the nitrates directive?

Peatlands have been identified as one of the core means by which we can store carbon. I will not delve into the regressive step of de-designating natural heritage areas, which is being debated in the Seanad. Are there plans to restore some of the peatlands that are not in natural heritage areas and that have been drained for agricultural or forestry use? If so, what is the scale of such restoration to the peatland and carbon sequestration function? Rewetting might also be an issue for Teagasc to address, including the question of how rewetting projects can be accelerated.

Another issue that has been brought to my attention, which was touched on in relation to forestry, is the link between the ecological and climate functions. How do we link those functions? I would like to see more of this in the IPCC report. We have heard, for example, that beekeeping could have an increased role in rewetting. Section B4.3 of the IPCC report refers to the importance of natural vegetation restoration, in which pollinators, of course, have a key role. How do the national pollinator plan and pollination feature in the plans we are hearing about regarding land use? Pollination is crucial in the restoration of natural vegetation and in ecosystems and forests but is also crucial in horticulture, which has been mentioned. On a global and national level how are we prioritising actions around the pollinator pathway and their intersection?

Deputy Stanley mentioned very eloquently the quality of hedgerows, not simply awareness of them. Hedgerows are key pollinator pathways across the Irish landscape. They are very important in that function.

I thought 12 km is a small amount-----