Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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952. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current cattle, sheep and pig population in each county in the State, in tabular form. [27711/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested is set out in the table below.

• The bovine population figures are as of 31st December 2022.
• Sheep population figures are form the annual sheep census which took place on 31st December 2022 and are based on returns received by 28th April 2023.
• Pig population figures are from the annual pig census which took place on 23rd October 2022 and are based on returns received by 24th April 2023.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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953. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine by how much the Government intends to reduce the national herd; within what timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27712/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is fully committed to the long-term viability of the Irish agricultural sector including our farm families who are the bedrock of the industry. The industry is hugely important to Ireland in terms of economic activity and employment. The sector was assigned a challenging target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 but is one that farmers and the industry are committed to achieving.

I established the Food Vision Dairy Group last year and the first priority of the group was to chart a pathway to achieving the legally binding target of a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 2030, equivalent to a reduction of 5.75 MT of carbon equivalent. The group submitted their final report in October 2022 which identifies measures which could contribute to reducing emissions. One such measure identified along with many others is a Voluntary exit/ Reduction scheme. This was one of a series of options considered in the Food Vision Dairy Group final report for achieving a 1.3 Mt abatement target. This final report is published and available on my Department’s website.

I stress that this is a measure for consideration and is not a final policy decision. I also emphasise that were this scheme to advance, it would be very much a voluntary scheme.

The Food Vision Dairy Group final report was timely as it served to inform the Climate Action Plan 2023. This is an ambitious plan, and it includes options for farmers including in the area of diversification.

As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I continually advocate for the sector. I remain confident that the outlook for the Irish dairy industry is positive. We produce safe, nutritious and sustainable products that are in demand across the globe. Irish dairy exports exceeded €7 billion in 2022 and reached 130 different markets.