Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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122. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way that Ireland’s agriculture sector will reach its emissions reduction goals. [53259/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the agriculture sector was assigned a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 based on a 2018 baseline of 23MT CO2 eq. This reduction in emissions will contribute to the economy wide reduction of 51% by 2030. It is a challenging and ambitious target but is one that farmers and the industry are committed to achieving.

The Climate Action Plan 2021 set out the core and additional measures the sector will pursue to live within its assigned carbon budgets.

Earlier this year, I established two Food Vision groups - a dairy group and a beef and sheep group. The final report from the dairy group is imminent, with the beef and sheep group to conclude its work in the coming months. The reports will contain a series of recommendations to reduce agricultural greenhouse gases, building on the Climate Action Plan 2021 core and further measures.

The challenge now is to have these measures taken up at farm level, this process is well under way. The Teagasc Signpost farm programme will play a key role in this objective.

One of the key measures will be a reduction in chemical nitrogen use, and a change in the type of chemical nitrogen applied. Significant progress has been made in 2022 and this will be positively reflected in the 2022 inventory when published next year.

Other measures include a focus on animal breeding, reduced finishing times for our prime beef animals, and increased levels of organic production. Finally, new technologies, as is the case for all sectors of the economy, and the development of diversification opportunities including Anerobic Digestion will be needed in order to bridge the final gap-to-target.

I am also confident with appropriate research supports that methane reducing feed additives will be developed and rolled out on farms by 2030.

Farmers and the agri-sector are leading out on their climate targets. Both I as Minister and the Government as a whole will continue to back and support them in the time ahead.