Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister is aware, Irish farms and the Irish agriculture sector more generally have been making major strides in reducing their carbon footprint over recent years. This is not recognised very often. Indeed, the agri-sector has become something of a scapegoat for all the environmental ills that afflict our society. Farmers and their way of life have been demonised for too long. When farmers work to introduce biodiversity initiatives, they are told they have to do more. Rarely is credit given. The fact of the matter, however, is that to qualify for many of the schemes, such as GLAS, they must meet the criteria. They are doing so quite successfully and are doing their bit for the environment. It is high time that this were acknowledged and credited.

Irish farmers are well aware of their obligations and responsibilities but they will not be made the whipping boys of an aggressive and ill-informed environmental lobby for whom no measure is ever good enough. This will do nothing to create the sense of genuine partnership and collaboration that we all need and, indeed, support.

The Minister himself acknowledged in January that the EU's long-term strategy, A Clean Planet for All, accepts that agricultural production will always result in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane and nitrous oxide. Of course, these can be reduced, but not at the expense of the entire sector or of the rural economy and the family farm as we know it.

I am conscious that in recent reply to a parliamentary question from my Rural Independent Group colleague, Deputy Mattie McGrath, the Minister accepted that the very concept of carbon neutrality has yet to be defined. This needs to be addressed urgently. It is fine to have a general sense of what climate neutrality might look like on paper but we need a definite sense of what the real-world implications will be for farming and agriculture more generally.

I acknowledge and welcome that we are increasing carbon sequestration measures. In fact, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, confirmed to me in a recent reply to a parliamentary question that hedgerows, which are not currently accounted for in Ireland's calculation of emissions targets, will be included from 2021. As we know, greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with the land-use change and forestry are currently reported in Ireland's national inventory report but this is prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency and submitted to the European Union and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change annually. I acknowledge the fantastic research conducted by Teagasc in this area. It has long argued that hedgerows and landscape features within the cropland and grassland categories can form part of the emissions and removal estimates for land-use categories.

Will the Minister provide an update on his Department's engagement with the EPA with respect to the development of a land use map for reporting on land-based activities under land use regulations? Will he accept that farmers do not receive anything like the credit they deserve for introducing and supporting carbon reduction measures?

Information provided by the Revenue Commissioners indicates that since 2010, the State has taken in at least €2.8 billion in carbon taxes. I appreciate the Minister may not have the information to hand but will he please commit to providing the details of how much of that has come from the agriculture sector? I ask because there is an inaccurate perception that farmers are simply takers and not givers when it comes to contributions to climate tax and renewal measures.

I indicate again that I oppose any proposal to reduce the national herd, as this would destroy agriculture as we know it. Have these proposals been accepted or can we consider how other sectors must also play their part in reducing emissions, and that agriculture cannot be the scapegoat, leading to the destruction of the family farm as part of our culture in trying to appease a number of people? These people, in making their demands, do not understand agriculture.

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