Written answers

Thursday, 9 December 2021

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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47. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he hopes to consider carbon mitigation measures through enhanced sequestration thereby ensuring the viability of the agri-food sector while at the same time meeting carbon reduction targets; if minor afforestation projects can be used to achieved the desired result; if tree species with a known ability to maximise sequestration can be used along with other species in this context; if he expects to be in a position to ensure an adequate food supply chain into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60160/21]

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is aware of the significant contribution that on-farm carbon sequestration, particularly through our soils, hedgerows and trees, can make in the continued viability and sustainability of the agri-food sector.

To address the need for relevant data in this area, my Department has recently provided funding across a number of different projects and initiatives to help establish and accurately quantify the contribution that the on-farm sequestration activities of our farmers can make to the achievement of our emission reduction targets.

In particular, the establishment of the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory with supporting technology for the measurement of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from a range of different soil and farm types will place Ireland at the forefront of EU carbon sequestration research. This infrastructure will be located on a number of Teagasc Signpost farms which is a new initiative which aims to support our farmers by acting as a demonstration and research resource for best practice on our farms.

My Department will continue to promote afforestation and forest management measures to realise our 2030 ambition. The recently published climate action plan identifies measures for Forest Land to reduce emissions in Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) with potential direct savings of 2.9 MtCO2eq in 2030.

Ambitious afforestation targets are required to increase sequestration in forestry include a yearly planting rate of at least 8,000 ha per year. Through the afforestation scheme my Department supports the creation including those small afforestation projects, once the area is at least 0.1 of a hectare. A wide variety of tree species can be planted under the afforestation scheme which includes tree species that have the ability to maximise sequestration in a sustainable manner.

I encourage all our stakeholders to work with my Department to substantially increase our afforestation rates over the next decade.

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