Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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76. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the pieces of legislation that enforce the protection of soils, in terms of the introduction of dangerous substances on or in the soil, erosion, organic matter decline, compaction, salinisation and landslides; the programmes of measures for risk areas or national remediation strategies that ensure that contaminated sites receive remediation; if his Department or another Department maps risk areas for erosion, organic matter decline, compaction, salinisation and landslides and prepares an inventory of contaminated sites; his Department's working definition of the meaning, principles and priorities of soil protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41288/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Soil is considered to mean the top forming layer of the earth’s crust situated between the bedrock and the surface. It is formed by mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms.  Soil protection aspects can be found in a wide variety of policy instruments, with different community policies contributing varying degrees of both direct and indirect measures for the protection of soils; for example in areas such as water, waste, chemicals, industrial pollution prevention, nature protection and pesticides, and agriculture.

In relation to the prioritisation of soil pressures, many of the aforementioned agricultural pressures are already covered under existing instruments (i.e. organic matter decline, erosion, and compaction are covered in some manner under CAP provisions). Soil protection measures are incorporated within the Good agricultural and Environmental Standards under Pillar I of CAP as well as measures under agri-environment schemes for example catch crops, minimum tillage, riparian zone margins, mitigating erosion, compaction and organic matter decline in the agricultural landscape. Salinisation and landslides are generally not regarded as high risk in Ireland although there may be localised issues. In any case, CAP remains the most important and efficient mechanism to mitigate any soil pressures within the agricultural sector.

Teagasc and the EPA have developed an Irish Soil Information System - a national association soil map for Ireland at a scale of 1:250,000, together with an associated digital soil information system, providing both spatial and quantitative information on soil types and properties across the country. Both the map and the information system are available online.

CORINE is a Pan-European land use and land cover (LULC) mapping programme undertaken by the European environment Agency and is the main source of national-scale LULC information and this includes an erosion risk map assessment for Ireland.

Ireland does not have a significant problem with contaminated land or brownfield sites and as such does not have a national contaminated land programme, or a register of the number of contaminated sites.  Brownfield or contaminated land sites are dealt with through a range of legislation including the Water Pollution Act, Environmental Protection Agency Act (which deals with Integrated Pollution Control and Industrial Emissions Licensing), Waste Management Act, Environmental Liabilities Regulations and also through planning legislation. The EPA is responsible for overseeing the remediation of polluted soil and groundwater at facilities licensed by the EPA.