Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 6, line 29, after “emissions” to insert “minus removals”.

I welcome the Minister to this important debate regarding the climate action legislation. It is an important Bill that I believe, as a society, we need to progress. The amendment, which I have tabled with the help of many of my colleagues having consulting with the majority of Members, will hopefully give due recognition to carbon sequestration and how that could affect carbon budgets under the Bill.

We have seen major projects over the past six to eight months. I refer, in particular, to the Teagasc Signpost Programme, and Farm Zero C, a Carbery-based project in County Cork, with the help of University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, that received funding from Science Foundation Ireland. These are unique projects that will work on farms to prove how much carbon is absorbed by our soil and hedgerows. Let us look at the history of where we have gone in Irish farming over the past 40 years. We had a policy in the 1970s and 1980s, the early 1980s in particular, where we moved away from hedgerows. There was a grant scheme available to take them out. An evolving pattern led to the rural environment protection scheme, REPS 1, a significant eco-scheme in the 2000s, which resulted in the replacement of many hedgerows and there was great buy-in from the farming community in the process, which is well noted. Many years ago, we sold our products on the international market saying that this was part of the traceability of our food. Now we sell it because they are sustainable food products

Being involved in this carbon debate is something that the agriculture community has embraced, in particular, over recent years. There have been significant changes in technology. Technology has been the key to many of the changes in agriculture and I refer specifically to the trailing shoe technology. Since the start of the year, the majority of dairy farms have had to spread all their organic manure through a trailing shoe, which entails drilling the manure directly into the ground. That kind of technology is changing the landscape of Irish farming.

The amendment gives due recognition of the volume of carbon we are tying up in our soils and hedgerows. It gives the recognition needed for the farming community to drive forward and to do more. Farmers have the ability and knowledge to do more. As I stated previously, we have the best trained farmers in the world. There are no other farmers in the globe that have gone through the training that our farmers have. Not alone do they go through two to three years in college and then on to an agricultural college followed by a placement, they undergo continuous training after that, in particular, through discussion groups, which are held monthly. Farmers meet for half a day every month to go through the changes in technology and in society, and how they can manage their farm appropriately. Part of this is about education while the other part is about making sure farmers have interactions with other farmers, because, unfortunately, that does not happen as often as it should. No other society has that. No other industry has the ability to have continuous professional development on a monthly basis. That is the knowledge we have on the ground. If we were to implement major changes, the ability for continuous educational change to happen quickly is there because the model is set up. I believe it is about working with our farming communities on the ground.

The Minister was in Courtmacsherry with us approximately 18 months ago at an interesting seminar. We met a number of people, including those who were the drivers behind the local Barryroe Co-op. They were as proud as punch when they told the Minister that Dubliner cheese was made in Barryroe, west Cork. They understand that they can sell a product globally off the back of being sustainable going forward. That was an interesting debate - I am sure the Minister will comment on it - and we had a good seminar that afternoon. The pride within the community about farming, what the farmers achieved and what it meant on so many levels was evident. We must give the farming community the recognition it deserves regarding the ability of soils and hedgerow to store carbon because that is a game changer.

There are emissions coming from the agriculture sector but no other industry in the world can remove carbon. It is because of this that the recognition of the words “minus removals” is so important. The transport sector cannot remove carbon. It can reduce the volume produced but it cannot remove it. The agriculture sector can remove carbon and that needs to be acknowledged in the Bill. When considering the ability of all sectors to reduce carbon, we have a unique dynamic in agriculture whereby we can remove carbon. It is because of that, I believe this amendment is so important. It gives recognition to farmers and it is what they need because, unfortunately, during the climate action debate, they feel they have been victimised. They have been trying to rear their families, run a co-operative society, run a parish, and they have been the bad boys in the equation. If anything, they have followed Government policy and engaged with it. They should not be victimised because of what they did. They have invested thousands of euro in dairy and beef units throughout the country.

There is great uncertainty about this issue at the moment and how sustainable they could be going forward because the media, and others, have said that the farmers are the bad boys. In many ways they have done so, including the introduction of trailing shoe technology, the massive investment in storage over the past ten years, and the changes in, and reduction of, fertiliser spreading. It has also been about the technology used. I can look up my animal records on my phone and check which animal got what dose of medicine over the past five years.As a dairy farmer who produces milk and milks cows, and milked cows yesterday evening, I believe, as an industry, we need to have that voice here. It is important we have the ability to play a vital role. This amendment gives us that opportunity. It is one of the most important amendments to make sure we bring the agricultural community along this journey.