Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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1221. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the elements of the CAP programme which have as a key objective the reduction in carbon equivalent emissions from agriculture; the targeted reduction in CO2 equivalents in respect of each; the overall cost of the programme; and the system of verification of carbon reduction that will be established at farm level or at programme level. [52899/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department is currently working with other Government Departments and agencies to finalise Ireland’s draft CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027, in respect of which an overall budget of €9.83 billion has recently been agreed. As such, it is too early to state the specific targeted reduction in CO2 equivalents that each proposed measure will achieve.

However, the measures are designed to achieve multi-functional benefits in the areas of climate, biodiversity, and water, soil and air quality, and will align with, and directly contribute to, achievement of Government policy in these areas.

Proposed measures with the key objective of reducing carbon equivalent emissions include the following:

- Under baseline Conditionality, new requirements from 2024 will help to reduce emissions from peat-based agricultural land.

- New Eco-Schemes will encourage and reward tree planting, expansion of non-productive areas and landscape features, extensive livestock production and lower chemical nitrogen usage.

- A new Agri-Environmental and Climate Measure will help to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions through appropriate management of grassland (especially on peat-based soils), appropriate peatland drainage management, and the planting of trees and hedgerows.

- A significant increase in the land area under organic production, and under protein crop production.

In addition, the proposed Straw Incorporation Measure will enhance the carbon pool in arable soils.

In due course, information on uptake levels for specific measures will be made available for scheme evaluation and to the Environmental Protection Agency. This will ensure effective monitoring as well as allowing national greenhouse gas inventories to be updated to reflect progress to reduce emissions.

There will also be a requirement to complement CAP support through other Government and industry initiatives, and, where appropriate, through enhanced regulation.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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1222. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the new CAP proposals provide specific enhanced supports to diversification of land use or land management in the period ahead to activities with a lower carbon equivalent; the detail of the enhanced supports; and the projected uptake of each. [52900/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan is still under development. However, it is proposed that it will provide specific enhanced supports to diversification of land use/land management to activity with a lower carbon equivalent. It is intended to achieve this through a coherent approach across several areas, as set out below.

The proposed definition of land eligibility for Direct Payments under the CAP will reduce the incentive for farmers to clear features beneficial for biodiversity and climate from their land.

This revised definition is expected to make an additional 55,000 hectares of land eligible for Direct Payments. The definition will also allow land used for paludiculture, or involved in national or EU-funded schemes for biodiversity or greenhouse gas reductions, including State-funded forestry, to continue to qualify for Direct Payments.

The new Eco-Scheme will encourage farmers to devote more land to non-productive areas and landscape features, as well as to the planting of native trees. The aim is to engage as many farmers as possible in this voluntary scheme.

Support for organic farming will increase, with a view to achieving 7.5% of utilised agricultural land under organic production by 2027.

The flagship Agri-Environmental and Climate Measure is proposed to engage 50,000 farmers. It will support various sub-actions including a number promoting diversification of land use/land management.

These include reduced management intensity of peatland under agricultural use, appropriate drainage management on peatland, appropriate tree and hedgerow planting as well as sub-actions contributing to reduced fertiliser use.

There will also be support to maintain arable land use, particularly arable land contributing to environmental outputs.

This is intended to be complimented by a Straw Incorporation Measure which will operate on an annual basis to enhance the carbon pool in arable soils. In addition, it is proposed to increase support for domestic production of protein crops.