Results 5,101-5,120 of 10,862 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Over the weekend, journalists were critiquing Opposition Deputies because some of us would not specify a specific percentage figure for the sectoral ceiling for agriculture. I hope those journalists are watching today and understand that the information Mr. Kierans has been talking about, which is being used by his Department, has not been made available. We have sought copies of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: It is an easy one. There is a range of 22% to 30% for the sectoral ceiling for agriculture. What measures would be required for each point along that scale?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Would it not be fair to say that measures taken on afforestation and anaerobic digestion should be assigned, in terms of credits, to LULUCF as opposed to agriculture? They are the only two specific areas raised and are not actually related to agricultural emissions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: That makes no sense whatsoever. Does the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine consider a scenario where it would be appropriate or necessary for the State to apply linear cuts in respect of a particular type of agriculture, for example to state across the board that every farm or every farm within a region would be required to reduce its production by a certain number of percentage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Moving on to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials, the one point that is indisputable is that every farm is unique, but does the Department accept we are at a disadvantage in that we do not have any mechanism to assess on a farm-by-farm basis the sequestration, storage and emissions that are currently happening on each unique farm?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: How will that be measured?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Are there no measures in place and no proposals?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Here is my difficulty. I have seen no proposal to do that at a practical level. What I saw was more general, baseline studies that say "This is what the average farm with 15 cows emits". My fear is that you could have a situation where a farmer is actually engaging in forestry, ensuring the hedgerows are protected and expanded, planting mixed species swards, engaging in anaerobic digestion...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: We could have our sectorial ceilings imposed next week.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: The difficulty is that we are going to have sectorial ceilings next week. According to the opening statement there is little information. It is very clear that it is not subject to the Oireachtas process and that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has a very minimal role. He is consulted in all of this. We heard from the Department of the Environment, Climate and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: What number can the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine reach?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: All of those things combined, reading Ms Love's opening statement, would suggest that even that and a little bit more would be required to bring the sector to 22%. Mr. Crammond is not saying that is the minimum. What is the maximum he feels agriculture can go to in a realistic sense without undermining our agrifood sector?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Surely the Minister is coming into negotiations with a figure in his head, that this is as far as he can go?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Sectorial ceilings we are told are going to be set next week. Is that the timeframe the Department is working to?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: Okay. The figure is going to be between 22% and 30%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: The Department indicates that it does not know what the Minister is advocating for in the discussions. I am going to walk out onto the plinth and someone will stick a microphone in my face and ask, "What should the sectorial emissions be?" I will be accused of being a climate change denier if I cannot answer that question but I have nothing from the information from both relevant...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: If the sectoral target set next week is 30%, will the Department be able to work towards that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: What would those policies be?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sectoral Emissions Ceilings: Discussion (20 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: In the context of the areas for which the Department currently has targets, afforestation was mentioned. The programme for Government has a target of 8,000 ha per year. The Department just about hit 2,000 ha last year and might not even get to that figure this year. The position in respect of organic targets is similar. The Government is wildly missing all its targets in a number of...

Green Hydrogen Strategy Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (14 Jul 2022)

Matt Carthy: I commend my colleague Deputy O'Rourke, along with Deputies Quinlivan and Cronin, on tabling this Bill. I thank the Minister for being here and for the response. I commend the fact that we are finally moving towards having a hydrogen strategy for the State. I would argue forcefully that it needs to be an all-Ireland strategy insofar as is possible. I am sure many will be surprised to hear...