Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comments. This is a case of us chasing something very fast without having the research and knowledge base built up concerning how we will measure what farmers sequester through their daily practices and with hedgerows, etc. There have been many pilot schemes and a lot of research has been done but, as the Minister said, we do not yet have the science to show farmers will be rewarded for the good work they already do. The problem is that we have put the cart way before the horse in that we are trying to penalise people for carbon emissions without having a proper method of measuring what they are contributing. If we are to maintain confidence in farming and what is happening with carbon emissions, it is important to get the science right before making further decisions.

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