Results 1,581-1,600 of 4,573 for speaker:Brian Leddin
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I ask the Senator to let the Minister answer.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: Senator Higgins is out of time.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: If the Senator stops interrupting, the Minister might have a chance to answer.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: Will the Minister expand on that last comment about growing grass for anaerobic digestion?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: There have been challenges in other countries around growing a feed stock directly for anaerobic digestion. There have been challenges around food production, which is an important priority, and there are local environmental challenges in balancing the objectives. Obviously we want - and we have agreed politically to support - anaerobic digestion to the tune of 200 anaerobic digesters...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I thank the Minister.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: There was a reference earlier to the exemption for hedgerows of under 500 m and the Minister indicated he will be willing to reconsider and revise that in the next few months. I hope that within April or May, or at least very soon thereafter, we that 500 m exemption could be revised downwards.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I thank the Minister for clarifying that. In response to Senator Pauline O'Reilly, he commented on an exit scheme, if that is the correct term, for dairy farmers. Did he say he would be coming forward with proposals on that in the next few months?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: With regard to the 1 March deadline and the 1 September date at the other end, has there been any discussion about changing those dates and bringing them forward to February and later in September, respectively?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: Did the Minister say 3,000 ha will be rewetted under ACRES?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: The target for 2025 is 30,000 ha. Is that correct?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: It is not just ACRES that is going to deliver that-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I am wondering where the other 27,500 ha will come from in such a short space of time. Have we a sense of that?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: There is the incentive piece as well, as Deputy Bruton mentioned, to bring farmers into the scheme. We heard that there is a false narrative around rewetting that it is about flooding land but it is not. It may reduce the grazing season somewhat but we heard that agriculture can still continue on the land. That is the message that has not gone out. It is not about flooding farmland; it is...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I would argue that it is about the non-ACRES piece as well.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: Senator Boylan is our next speaker. I understand Deputy Whitmore needs to leave soon so perhaps she can speak first.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I want to ask the Minister about two issues that are not directly under his brief but that he might have some interest and influence in. We spoke earlier about solar farming and an issue has been raised, which I am not sure has come across the Minister's desk, where farmers get a 90% relief on inheriting the land but they forfeit that relief if they use more than 50% of their land for solar...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: Does Senator Garvey want to come in?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: As no one else is indicating, we will finish up there. I think there are a few issues on which the Minister might revert to us in due course. We are certainly eager to here more on the rewetting plan because 2025 is only two years away. There is a lot of work to do there. Senator Boylan mentioned PFAS. The Minister might provide us with a note on that. Then there are matters on which...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Action Plan 2023: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (2 Mar 2023)
Brian Leddin: I thank the Minister for his opening statement. If he wants to bring in his officials, we will go into private session as we cannot have them speaking in public session as they were not invited.