Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There are various commitments in the programme for Government on land use. For example, there is a commitment to the effect that:

Within 24 months, we will evaluate the potential for contributions towards our climate ambition from land-use improvements and set in train the development of a land-use plan, based on its findings.

There is also a commitment to:

A national land use review, including farmland, forests, and peatlands, so that optimal land use options inform all relevant government decisions.

There is a further commitment to:

Publish a National Soils Strategy that will assess all appropriate soil health parameters and will inform future policies on good soil-management practices.

We have issues around land use coming into sharp focus in terms of the potential fodder crisis resulting from the conflict in Ukraine and the stark recommendations on land use in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. I am also aware of the European Commission regulation on nature restoration coming down the tracks. Where stands the work on our land-use plan?

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