Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking to amendment No. 92, which I propose.

I will have very little to say in regard to the amendment as my colleague, Senator Lombard, has covered it. The two amendments are very much related but complement each other. The inclusion of amendment No. 92 with the amendment spoken about previously, amendment No. 1, will strengthen the climate action Bill for all the reasons that have been mentioned. It is vitally important from an agricultural sector point of view.

Senator Lombard spoke about milking cows. In my area, it is more small fields and stone walls or, indeed, hedgerows. In many small family farms, there can be more ground covered in hedgerow than there is arable. It is vitally important at every juncture in terms of the sequestration and storage of carbon, which is being emitted from the other areas.

As Senator Lombard said, transport cannot sequester. Power generation cannot sequester. When we are talking about net figures, the only sector which can have a minus side is the agricultural sector. It is vitally important at every junction in terms of the Minister's and the Department's deliberations, whether in the establishment of their carbon ceilings and budgets or when they try to balance those carbon ceilings and budgets.

The key word in the whole process is "net". As I said, this amendment, in conjunction with the other amendment, will copper-fasten and strengthen it in the Bill.

I welcome the progression of the Bill. Let the Minister not get me wrong. The agricultural sector welcomes the progression of this Bill. There is no sector more eager or willing to get down and dirty in achieving the targets than the agricultural sector. The farmers of Ireland are the custodians of the land and the land, the hedgerows and the trees is the natural sequestration. We will be going forward sowing more trees and more hedgerows and wetting certain areas of our land all for the good of the environment and the purposes of carbon sequestration and storage. It is vitally important that we include those figures and the farming community of Ireland are given credit for the good they are doing. Farmers admit there are CO2 emissions from farming. We need food so that will always happen. However, we have to give recognition and make allowances when doing our sums to come to net zero in respect of sequestration and storage.

As I said, this amendment, in conjunction with the previous one, will strengthen that in the Bill. Indeed, it will further support the commitment in the programme for Government, taking account of the special role of Irish agriculture in the economy.