Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to present the annual transition statement on the agriculture, forest and land use sector on behalf of the Department and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

As one of the key sectors involved in the first national mitigation plan, it is only right to restate the vision for the sector which is an approach to carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production. This is consistent with the principles of both the Paris Agreement and the European Council conclusions of October 2014 which recognised the role of agriculture and land use in tackling climate change and their contribution to achieving climate ambitions.

One of the first actions we committed to in the national mitigation plan was to engage with research to elaborate further on the concept of carbon neutrality. We expect that project to commence shortly. In the meantime, we are continuing to take a three-strand approach to emissions reduction: reducing emissions where we can, increasing carbon sequestration, and displacing fossil fuel and energy intensive materials with renewable sources.

The sector has been engaging in positive environmental actions, but I will focus in the main on some of the actions that we have taken since I presented last year's transition statement.

In terms of the rural development plan, we continue to invest in our mitigation measures, with approximately 49,000 farmers active in the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, and almost 25,000 farmers participating in the beef data and genomics programme, BDGP, where in excess of 1 million animals have been genotyped to date. Building on the success of the BDGP, we will introduce a new pilot scheme in 2019 targeted at suckler farmers, which will be called the beef environmental efficiency pilot, BEEP. This new scheme will aim to improve the carbon efficiency of beef production further.

Given the importance of afforestation to the achievement of sequestration ambitions, one of the new mitigation measures we have identified and introduced this year is a knowledge transfer group, KTG, scheme for forestry. Other forest measures taken this year include increasing the rate of financial support across all categories, with larger increases for broadleaf planting. A change in supports for road building was also made. In addition, we have seen the introduction of the woodland environmental fund, which will help to expand Ireland's native woodland resource further.

On the energy efficiency side of things, our farmers are availing of investment options like biomass boilers and air source heat pumps under the TAMS II pig and poultry and young farmers capital investment schemes. This year also saw the launch of a new collaborative initiative between the Government and industry known as the agricultural sustainability support and advisory programme. The Department, Bord Bia and Teagasc are working together on how to effect further positive change at farm level through research, advisory services and carbon audits.

My Department is busy preparing its first statutory adaptation plan for the three areas identified in the national adaptation framework and for which my Department has responsibility. The areas are seafood, agriculture and forestry. We published an adaptation planning document for the agricultural and forestry sectors last year and advanced work on the seafood element, which will set the groundwork for future adaptation planning.

Increased environmental ambition is a key element of the new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, proposals. I view this as an opportunity. However, the importance of having a well-funded CAP is more pertinent than ever if we want to see this ambition become a reality. Our farmers are custodians of the land, so supporting them in good environmental practices and enabling them to respond to climate challenges and opportunities is not only an investment in our agricultural sector but also in wider rural and general communities.

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