Dr. Karl Richards:

We have some research on the way again as part of the carbon observatory and we observe the carbon emissions associated with what we call organomineral soils. These are clay soils with a heavy subsoil and quite a high organic matter topsoil. It would quite be peaty but it would be a nice dark brown to black in colour. That typically has carbon in the range of 10% to 20% and it needs above 20% to be called peat. We are looking again at trying to improve our estimates of how much carbon is being emitted from that soil.

To answer the Deputy's earlier question, we are looking at other options. It is not just wet, re-wet or drain. There is an in-between and the water table can be varied at different times of the year. We have a project under way considering re-wetting to different levels in the soil. It may be there is a reduction in grazing capacity on the shoulders of the year but a farmer can still get to graze it in summer. The question is what effect that would have the greenhouse gas balance. We have other research under way considering the effect of a reduction in fertiliser input. Again, decomposition in the soil relates not just to the carbon content but to nitrogen, as the microorganisms that break it down need nitrogen. A reduction in nitrogen inputs would have an effect on productivity but would also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Again, we are trying to look at different management strategies that allow us to combine grazing with reducing emissions on those soils.

As the Deputy said, it is about different options. The target now is to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030 but we are seeking carbon neutrality by 2050 so these high-emitting soils or management practices must be offset by 2050 in order to meet those climate targets.