Results 7,521-7,540 of 10,843 for speaker:Matt Carthy
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: On peatlands, it is estimated that 300,000 ha of carbon-rich peat soils are under agricultural management. It is fair to say that this land is very much concentrated in a relatively small number of counties. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: As I mentioned earlier, the drainage on those lands has been happening over generations.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: It has been a long time. Mr. Callanan, in his opening statement, indicated that a "key target under the climate action plan is to reduce the management intensity of 80,000 ha of these lands by 2030." What does that mean? Does it mean that those lands will be removed from agricultural use or will they be re-wetted or rewilded? What will happen to those 80,000 ha?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: I am genuinely trying to get clarification as to what the term “reduce the management intensity” means. Does it essentially mean that-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: To be blunt about it, would Mr. Callanan envisage that these 80,000 ha, or a proportion thereof, would continue to be grazing land?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: No, and that is why I am asking the question for clarification. Following on from that point, I do not understand why the target here is 80,000 ha and not 300,000 ha if the land can continue to be used for agriculture.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: Okay. There might be stock on the land, but perhaps at a reduced level.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: By and large, we would not be talking about land that is heavily stocked.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: Yes, I understand that entirely. Deputy Fitzmaurice is behind me and I am sure he will have something to say on this matter. I am asking about this because I am just trying to understand what this process means and how we can ensure it is a success from the perspectives of farmers, communities and the environment.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: I have two more quick questions. The witnesses' opening statement refers to the value of hedgerows and hedges generally. What specific schemes or supports are currently in place to encourage the expansion of hedgerows?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: Does Mr. Callanan see this being a significant part of the agri-environmental scheme in the next CAP? Will it be an agri-environmental scheme or eco-scheme?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: I will move on because I know there are other speakers. I thank Mr. Callanan for that answer. The targets in the climate action plan suggest that forestry can remove 0.8 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030 and 2.1 Mt of reductions post 2030, in forestry that was planted before 2030. What area of planting per year is that based on?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: From 2021?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: It does not include 2020.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: That is probably an understatement.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: We would be lucky to hit 2,000 ha this year.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: We are missing the target by 6,000 ha. Some 14,000 ha next year will not fully make up for it, and it will take more the further we go. In truth, those targets are meaningless, since we will not reach them.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: We had it last year too.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: Has Mr. Moore a table that would suggest, if we reached 2,000 ha or 3,000 ha this year, what it would take in subsequent years to make up to reach this?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)
Matt Carthy: That was, unfortunately, the answer that I expected. Mr. Moore mentioned the woodland environmental scheme, where private companies pay landowners an additional €1,000 per hectare to plant native trees. About 22% of the afforestation that took place last year was from that, so it is sizable. What proportion of the outstanding licence backlog is made up of woodland environmental fund...