Written answers

Tuesday, 5 July 2016

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Beef Industry

Photo of Martin HeydonMartin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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591. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the requirement for carbon credits for beef produced here for European and international markets; his plans to alleviate this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19354/16]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In the EU, management of emissions is split into two areas (i) the EU Emissions Trading Scheme which largely covers heavy industry and (ii) the non Emissions Trading Sector or the NETS, which includes the agriculture sector. Beef production is part of the agricultural sector emissions and is therefore part of the NETS.

While Irish agricultural production is independently and internationally recognised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre as one of the most climate and resource efficient systems in the world, we cannot ignore the fact that our agricultural emissions account for around 45% of the NETS and over 33% of our national green house gas emissions.

This is why we have been engaging in intensive discussions with the European Commission, along with other key Departments, for some time now highlighting the importance of ensuring a coherent approach to the twin challenges of food security and climate change.

We expect that proposals for the new effort sharing decision will be published towards the end of July and indications are that it will include a flexibility to allow Member States limited use of credits to recognise carbon stored in forests (particularly new net afforestation) and in land to add to the limited mitigation options available in the agriculture sector. However, it is important that the exchange of credits between land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) and other sectors avoids the creation of perverse incentives that could undermine the objectives of sustainable intensification of agriculture or undermine reductions in fossil emissions.

My Department will continue to engage with the Commission to ensure that the target assigned to Ireland under the new effort sharing decision is fair and reasonable, such that the sector can grow, prosper and meet the increasing world demand for food in a sustainable manner. At the same time we will maintain our ambition to move towards carbon neutrality in the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production.

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