Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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575. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to make a submission to the newly formed Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Action. [32184/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the newly formed Joint Committee on Climate Action.  I note that the Committee will consider the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly Report on tackling climate change and how these recommendations might inform future climate policy development.

As part of their work the Committee has committed to engaging with Government Departments regarding adaptation and mitigation measures and I look forward to my Department engaging in that process. 

My Department is actively involved in developing both mitigation and adaptation climate policy for the agriculture sector. We are making progress on the agricultural actions included in the National Mitigation Plan with a number of actions in place to push measures forward.  The Department and its agencies are actively engaging with the farming sector in supporting initiatives to contribute positively to climate change mitigation. We are committed to ensuring that the sector continues to grow sustainably so that Ireland can play its part in meeting the increasing global food demand while having regard to Ireland’s climate obligations. 

In August 2017 a non-statutory adaptation planning document entitled Adaptation Planning - Developing Resilience to Climate Change in the Irish Agriculture and Forest Sector was prepared by my Department under the 2012 National Climate Change Adaptation Framework and published on the Departmental website. Under the recently published National Adaptation Framework (NAF) my Department is the lead Department for three key sectors: agriculture, forestry and seafood that are required to prepare adaptation plans. Work has commenced on the preparation of statutory plans.

I look forward to my Department engaging with the new Oireachtas Committee on what I see as a very important area for the agriculture sector.