Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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286. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the 2022 United National Global Peatlands Assessment which suggests that the inclusion of climate concerns would, because of the enormous carbon density of peat, lead to more shallow thresholds for example, 10 cm (details supplied); if he will concede that a shallower threshold for Ireland than 50 cm is now required in view of this best available scientific advice and his sector’s increasing failure to meet Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9324/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the Global Peatland Assessment undertaken by the United Nations Environmental Programme and the reference to the introduction of a 10cm peat depth threshold. The work makes the point that from a climate policy point of view, in tropical areas, peatlands of this depth are already approaching or surpassing the minimum carbon threshold of a high carbon stock forest.

As part of the implementation of the Forest Strategy 2023 to 2030, my Department is reassessing its policy with regard to future afforestation on organic soils, which will be informed by the Global Peatland Assessment. However it is important that country specific scientific knowledge is used to inform this decision. Applying a depth threshold that is based on the carbon stocks associated with tropical forests and wetlands is not appropriate given that Ireland is located in the temperate zone and the composition of our forests and wetlands will be completely different to the tropical zone.