Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

482. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 22 of June 2017, if a projection has been carried out by his Department in relation to emissions reduction from the agricultural sector in 2020, 2030 and 2050; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31303/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The long-term ambition for the sector is to move towards an approach to carbon neutrality which does not compromise capacity for sustainable food production. This effectively means that agricultural emissions are balanced by increasing carbon-sequestration, reducing emissions from the land sector, increasing fossil fuel and energy intensive materials displacement.  However, further elaboration of the concept of carbon neutrality and how it will be achieved over time is required.

The 2012 Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve identified 1.1 Mt CO2 abatement potential by 2020.

 Agriculture accounts for about 33% of national emissions. This figure reflects the importance of agriculture to the Irish economy, the significance of an efficient grass based livestock industry and Ireland’s lack of heavy industry.

 The most recent EPA figues indicate that agriculture emissions are 5.5% below 1990 figures. This overall reduction in emissions from agriculture has also been influenced by measures such as the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme, Agriculture Environmental Options Scheme, Green Low Carbon Agri Environmental Scheme, Organic Scheme, supports for manure management in line with the EU Nitrates Directive, and through development of renewable energy resources. It is also of note that improvements in sustainable intensification, such as improved fertiliser use and grassland management, have occurred alongside the afforestation of 300,000 hectares of agricultural land since 1990, which has helped to maintain agricultural output.

Over the period 2021 to 2030, afforestation since 1990 (i.e. all new forests planted since 1990 and up to 2020) will remove an estimated net 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere per annum based on the current method of accounting in EU Decision 529/2013.

 As the Deputy will be aware from my previous reply, my Department and its agencies have been strongly focussed on improving the efficiency of Irish farming which is fundamental to reducing emissions.

 Current analysis suggests that the emissions intensity per kcal of food output in 2013 is reduced approximately 14% relative to 2005 and early estimates project that the BAU 2030 emission intensity will be a quarter below the emission intensity in 2005. Further, early estimates of agriculture with additional measures is approximately 35% below 2005, although absolute emissions remain reasonably stable.

 It is also worth noting that we are one of a small number of EU countries to have elected to report on grassland and cropland management activities for the 2nd commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) (2013-2020) so we are endeavouring to improve our understanding of the drivers of emissions from these activities with a view to developing policies and measures to reducing the source of these emissions. This will allow Ireland to take advantage of any sequestration benefits that may be allowed in the future from these activities.