Dáil debates

Thursday, 21 October 2021

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Agriculture Industry

9:40 am

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will know, the funding from the carbon tax budget is very specific in that between now and the end of 2030, €1.5 billion will go directly to farmers. It is targeted specifically to get to farmers' pockets through the new agri-environmental scheme, which, as I outlined earlier, will deliver up to €10,000 for 20,000 participants and up to €7,000 for 30,000 participants. That is where the carbon tax is going.

Since my appointment as Minister, I have been working with Teagasc and investing in how we can develop the science and research to contribute to meeting our emissions reductions in the time ahead. Overall, in the context of our emissions reductions, the most important issue is that the targets that are set for us will not only continue to enable us to do what we do really well, namely, be a world leader in producing sustainable and healthy nutritious food, but they will also ensure we can drive down overall emissions in the agricultural sector in as strong a fashion as possible. Ultimately, that will only strengthen our overall agricultural model by delivering to consumers what they want, namely, food that has been sustainably produced.

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