Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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512. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has requested Teagasc to develop a new MACC analysis for climate mitigation that includes scenarios with a smaller national herd as per the advice of the Climate Change Advisory Council in its 2019 Annual Review. [37598/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department has noted the Climate Change Advisory Council`s Annual Review 2019 which sets out several different scenarios whereby methane emissions from the national herd can be reduced. The CCAC report is a useful supplement to the Teagasc GHG Marginal Abatement Cost Curve which sets out a range of available mitigation tools based on efficiencies and technologies which can reduce emissions without reducing numbers.

It is important to recognise that Teagasc also prepared a parallel analysis of six scenarios illustrating a range of activity levels and associated GHG emissions for the sector. This scenario analysis informed the Teagasc MACC curve on which the agricultural actions within the All-of-Government Climate Action Plan are based.

Based on the Teagasc MACC curve, provided we implement all of the mitigation actions identified early and to the highest feasible level of adoption, the comprehensive targets set for the sector across emission reductions, sequestration and contributing to energy production are achievable. This target in the climate plan is committing us to managing our methane emissions without comprising our ability to sustainably produce food.

As technology and markets evolve, the actions for emissions reduction will be kept under review.