Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I agree that every sector is going to have to play its part and that no one gets an out. Agriculture is more challenging than others for a variety of reasons, first, a lot of agricultural emissions relate to land use and land use emissions are complicated. The science is complicated and it requires considerations of how we get that right. How we manage peaty soils is a big part of reducing agricultural admissions. I would also go back to what the Deputy said earlier that we need to combine climate action with restoration of biodiversity. For Ireland, the economic opportunity and advantage that we have is that we have a family farming system. I think the average Irish beef herd is about 16 cattle. We are typically small farmers and that displays different characteristics to the 15,000 lots found in China, Texas or elsewhere. Our economic advantage and opportunity in agriculture is by providing a really high-quality food for export as well as for here at home, which restores nature as part of having a pristine, natural environment and getting a premium for it. That is not just about carbon but about nature and biodiversity being restored. That to my mind is the future of Irish agriculture.

The EPA said the rivers in the south east are saturated in nitrogen. We need to address that. The agriculture industry recognises that.