Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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370. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he can through CAP or by way of other measures ensure that agri-food production is not impaired by carbon reduction measures given that Ireland’s carbon footprint is the lowest globally for the level of food production; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51914/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Climate Act was passed by the Houses during the summer, and commits the economy to a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

The Deputy is correct in his assertion that Irish food is produced in a way that is very carbon efficient by global standards. Nevertheless, the sector needs to step forward and reduce absolute emissions and contribute to the economy wide reduction target by 2030.

I have made my views clear on this subject over recent months, I believe the sector can meet its climate objectives, maintaining agricultural output but importantly reducing our emissions and contributing to National and International commitments.

The new CAP Strategic Programme will financially assist farmers to make the required transitions.

In addition, I will continue to invest in research and innovation which will provide further solutions for our farmers, for example, the issue of methane reducing feed additives is an area that I am particularly interested in. The Department has a number of ongoing research projects looking at this issue, including the following projects:

While this will be a decade of change for Irish agriculture in terms of on-farm management, meat and dairy production from pasture will continue to underpin the rural economy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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371. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he remains satisfied that the agri-food sector will remain largely unaffected by carbon reduction measures which can be achieved by reliance on renewable energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51915/21]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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375. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which he continues to emphasise the use of alternative energy production to minimise the impact of carbon reduction targets on the agri-food sector in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51920/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 371 and 375 together.

The Programme for Government commits to a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions economy wide between now and 2030 – an extremely challenging ask but necessary as we aim to transition to a net zero economy and society.

The positive contribution from the land use and agricultural sector is built around three pillars:

- Firstly, by reducing our absolute emissions

- Secondly, through enhancing carbon sequestration where our forests and grasslands store carbon and act as sinks; and

- Finally, by the displacement of fossil fuels and energy intensive materials.

The role of Irish farmers in renewable energy systems is three-fold through:

- Establishing energy efficiencies on-farm.

- Through deployment of renewable energy at farm level; and

- As a supplier of biomass/ bio-energy feedstocks

My Department remains committed to supporting renewable energy technology through the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) programme where farmers can qualify for grant aid of between 40-60% for a suite of different cost saving renewable technologies such as LED lighting, solar panels, biomass heaters and variable speed drives for milking plants.

The upcoming launch of the Micro-generation Support Scheme presents an opportunity for farmers to become involved in the supply of electricity through renewable technology. This not only represents an income diversification opportunity but also a cost saving measure for Irish farmers.

The supply of biomass feedstock is an important element for the decarbonisation of heat systems in our agri-food industries and the sector will continue to be a key source of sustainable indigenous biomass material and in fact will double the resource between now and 2030.

It should be noted that while the on-farm renewable energy generation activities of our farmers contribute in a positive way to the energy system the emission reduction benefits of this activity remains with the energy sector. Despite this our farmers remain committed to playing their part in achieving our national climate change emission reduction goals.