Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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754. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to ensure farmers are recognised and remunerated for storing carbon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3961/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The European Commission published its proposal for a certification framework for Carbon removals on 30^thNovember 2022 2022 climate.ec.europa.eu/document/fad4a049-ff98-476f-b626-b46c6afdded3_en.

This certification framework proposes that the Commission (i) develops certification methodologies, in consultation with experts and stakeholders; and (ii) harmonises the implementation of the certification framework.

It is important that activity at national level is in line with and compliments the EU proposal. Nationally, there are knowledge and data gaps that will need to be bridged to facilitate carbon farming and that is why I have identified and funded a number of key research and demonstration activities which will not only influence our policy direction in the coming years but will also help to provide baseline information on key activities within the agricultural and land use sectors.

In research we are currently supporting data gathering activities such as the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO) infrastructure, the Pilot Soil Sampling Programme and the Farm Environmental Study (FES), while also providing funding to European Innovation Projects such as the Farm Carbon EIP and FarmPEAT EIP which will provide specific information not only on the baseline data but also on how we can influence land use management change in these areas.

In demonstration our recently launched country wide network of Teagasc supported Signpost Farms will showcase how best practice management techniques can be adopted on a wide range of enterprises and soil types.

These research and demonstration activities along with the recent establishment of the Carbon Farming Working Group, chaired through DAFM, will allow us to address a number of requirements around carbon farming mainly in the areas of establishing baseline data, auditing, governance and address the need for the Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of carbon removals/reductions.

In the meantime, my Department will continue to provide financial support for farmers providing eco system's services through a variety of EU and nationally funded schemes.