Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, and I acknowledge the enormous amount of work that the OPW does in this area. I also welcome the Minister of State, Senator Pippa Hackett, who has huge responsibility around land use and this goes over a core aspect of her work and other related issues.

Senator Pauline O'Reilly spoke about nature-based solutions, which is a very important sentence. I welcome Senator Garvey and the Green Party for putting forward this very important motion. It is not new. It is in the programme for Government and the aspirations are there, but if one believes in something it is worth saying time and time again. Everything in the programme for Government does not get done, and this is the green tinge and their focus, and I would expect nothing less of the Green Party than to pursue it. I am very supportive of it. I just wanted to say this at the very outset.

I am also very taken by recent statements in relation to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the Green Party, and being the farmers' friend. I believe that is a genuine statement. It is one that is constantly hard to get across, but the Minister does talk about interventions. Let us consider nature-based solutions and look at suggestions. I draw the House's attention to a very interesting document, Woodland for Water: Creating New Native Woodlands to Protect and Enhance Ireland's Waters, which also addresses flooding. It is a particularly good publication that was drawn up by the Department. It is very impressive. It sets out areas such as increasing the quality of planting.

I am going to focus on the issue of nature-based solutions during my few minutes here today. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in particular has a focus on continuing to foster the sustainable development of agriculture, forestry and land use in the context that we are talking about today.That is about increasing the quality of planting and having the right trees in the right place. I have heard the Green Party mention this so often that it has now become another strap line. The idea has sunk into my head and is one in which I believe. It is constantly being used, and when the same thing is repeated, it certainly sticks, so I commend the Green Party on that.

Promoting the planting of diverse tree species is critically important. Improving the level of farmer participation is the bit I want to talk about. I looked at the IFA's submission on the budget. Farmers and landowners are willing, ready, capable and determined to assist in combating climate change, but in reality they are challenged by it, as is everyone. They are no different. We have to look at imaginative ways to support them financially through premiums, grant aid and assistance to start, for instance, creating 20 m boundaries around river courses, lakes, watercourses and the benefits tied up in that. All of that is an important aspect.

How are we going to promote best practice and knowledge transfer in terms of natural solutions to address these problems? I want to see a greater emphasis on and engagement and discussion with the farm representative groups. I am a member of the agricultural panel and was elected as Senator to it, so I will always advocate for the agricultural community. It has a critical role to play but, more important, it is willing, ready, capable and able and clearly wants to address these issues.

The agricultural community wishes to address the issues related to setback planting. A Senator spoke earlier about soil stabilisation. We see all the benefits of planting along the margins of between 20 m and 25 in from watercourses to protect them and to create pockets of wetlands and settlement areas. All the benefits of that are very important. We talk about greenways and have seen wonderful examples and loads of smaller alternatives to greenways such as ecosystems and ecoways, which are really important.

I want to address the issue of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, which most of us know as GLAS. I welcome the fact the scheme has been rolled over again and €200 million has been allocated to ensure there is no break in the main agri-environment scheme under the transition arrangements, pending the introduction of the new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, in 2023. That is very important. One of the things that we have learned from CAP and the new CAP is this heavy emphasis and focus on environmental green initiatives. That is to be encouraged, but it goes back to the fact farmers and landowners will need to be supported on a range of issues.

I like the focus on ecology in the motion. The focus on the woodland environmental scheme is really important. As I said earlier, it is important we have additional grants. Of course we have to reduce sediment running off into watercourses and intercept and prevent nutrients, damaging contaminants and pesticides running into watercourses. Of course we need to have greater bank stabilisation and food inputs into the aqua ecosystems. Of course we have to develop native woodlands for biodiversity. We have to link them into a habitat linkage. We have to address carbon sequestration and the challenges and opportunities that come with all of this. Let us keep the ecological focus, look at the opportunities for farmers and landowners, and yet be mindful and conscious in particular about the acid sensitivity protocol for afforestation that has been set down by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA.

I was in Mountmellick two weeks ago and walked along a low strip of land, and I know the Minister of State with responsibility for land use and agriculture will be aware of the flooding that has occurred in the region. On my visit I saw at first hand a project where there had been very little soil intervention but there had been planting and the creation of ecosystems, which may prevent flooding while increasing biodiversity.

I commend the Green Party on tabling this motion in Private Members' time and fully support the initiative.