Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree that farmers respond. I agree that farmers' ability to have clarity in terms of where they are at with their own farms is important in empowering them to take steps which will further reduce emissions at farm level. I also agree it is important we incentivise this. Some of the steps we have taken, for example, the soil sampling scheme, have had a very significant uptake among farmers. The multi-species sward grant aid has seen very significant uptake, and more than 44,000 farmers applied for the liming scheme I introduced last year. We have also seen a significant change in the utilisation of organic slurry by virtue of the fact we have been investing significantly through 60% grants for farmers purchasing low emissions slurry spreading equipment. That has been a significant driver behind the move from chemical fertiliser through better usage and utilisation of organic manure. Those are all things that show that wherever we incentivise activity, farmers push forward with it. That is something we have to continue with, particularly through helping the process by empowering them to know their situation at farm level and then helping them to step forward with measures.

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