Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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9. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has, in conjunction with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, considered a policy around land use and development due to the increased competition for arable land in areas such as north Kildare, for new technologies such as solar farms. [13821/25]

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. As a fellow Kildare man, we are obviously having more success off the pitch than on it but well done to him.

Have the Departments of agriculture and local government considered a policy on land use development due to the increased competition for arable lands in areas such as north Kildare - I use my own rural constituency as an example - for new technologies such as solar farms?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and the specific example of north Kildare, an area I obviously know well and is close to my heart.

As the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am committed to driving sustainable agriculture practices that underpin Ireland's food sector and contribute more broadly to food security through an export market valued at €19 billion. The tillage sector is an important and integral component of Ireland's agrifood industry. The Government is committed to growing a vibrant tillage sector, as set out in the programme for Government, aligning with the roadmap set out in the Food Vision Tillage Group report, which was published last May.

A vibrant and sustainable tillage sector is central to increasing our food and feed security while also contributing to our climate objectives. My Department also supports the production of indigenous renewable energy. As set out in the Food Vision Tillage Group report, there are opportunities for tillage farmers to contribute to renewable energy. On-farm renewable energy generation activities offer farm diversification and income opportunities. Earlier, we discussed the challenges of generation renewal and at its heart is an impediment for younger farmers taking over the family farm and it can be that piece around income.

Elements that can drive the diversification of income and provide additional income opportunities are important. Measures taken during the previous Dáil included taking away the requirement for planning permission for solar panels on roofs of sheds. Farmers' core activity of producing top quality, safe and nutritious food continued. The income they derived from the cattle, sheep or grain that was in that shed continued, yet they got to supplement their income by having solar panels on the roof of their sheds.

These can contribute in a positive way to the decarbonisation of the energy system. The solar capital investment scheme for example, one of the measures in TAMS, provides support to farmers wishing to invest in renewable energy making use of existing shed roof space. Government policy was to do away with the requirement for planning permission for that as well.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister's response. He mentioned a number of topics and the very positive innovation introduced in the previous Dáil, which means there is no need for planning permission for the installation of solar panels on barns and sheds around the country. That has been really positive. Through the TAMS process, a lot of people continue to take advantage of that. That is something of which I am very complimentary.

At the heart of the response was that discussion about the competition between the importance of the land for tillage and the question around solar farms. That is where we are seeing it arising. As someone who was a councillor for many years, I have been through a lot of county development plans, zonings and everything else and where solar farms fit in that. We are very clear on certain segments and certain sections, be it commercial land, but we are now seeing solar farms. That is why it has become a very hot topic in our area.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I understand that concern among farmers who see highly productive agricultural land have ground solar put in and that land come out of food production or definitely reduced. As landowners subject to planning and other considerations, farmers have property rights which are protected by the Constitution and a legitimate interest in maximising the income from their holdings. However, it is important that food production is not negatively impacted by the development of solar farms.

The programme for Government has committed to introducing planning guidelines for solar farms and to provide certainty in the development of solar energy in agriculture. While issues regarding planning fall under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, my Department will input into the development of these guidelines due to the potential impact on agricultural land. In the meantime, my Department will continue to support farmers to ensure that Ireland maintains its position as a producer of sustainable food with a global reputation for quality.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister again for his response. This Government and in fairness, this country, has always had a very strong agricultural backbone. It is hugely important to our name around the world and that is why we are here on both sides of the House to support it. In this time where renewables are changing and the world is changing around us, we have to take every positive step both from a renewables perspective and an agricultural perspective.

This is about setting out the plans such that, into the future, they meet holistically and well and that we are actually planning for the future as opposed to having something meet us afterwards and deciding we could have done something better. I know the Minister is on top of this and I know it is something he is dealing with, but it is important for us all to discuss it, to raise it and to see how we can progress it best into the future. I thank the him for his time and the detail he has given.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy again for raising this. There are two points at the heart of his question. One is the importance of our tillage sector, on which I absolutely concur with him. There is a reason my Department has had a number of interventions to support the tillage sector, which has come through a couple of really difficult years, from straw incorporation and protein aid to the tillage payment, which I was delighted to be able to sign off on early into my term. These are the supports for a tillage sector that is absolutely vital. I have always made the point that agriculture and all the different enterprises within agriculture are like a gearbox and each enterprise is dependent on the other. The livestock, dairy, beef and sheep sectors and beyond are very dependent on the tillage sector and vice versa, so it is really important that we mind all those sectors when they go through those rough times but also recognise the fact that there are opportunities for diversified income for farmers from alternative renewable energy sources. It is good for farmers to be able to maximise those returns while also not losing sight of the very important role we have in producing food.