Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Taking account of the requirement for all agricultural sectors to contribute to achieving the targets set out in the Climate Act process, I established the Food Vision Beef & Sheep Group as well as the Food Vision Dairy Group last year. The purpose of these groups is to advance the actions identified for the beef, sheep and dairy sectors in the Food Vision 2030 strategy.

The first priority for both groups was to chart a pathway to achieve 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 dioxide equivalent.

Both the Beef & Sheep and Dairy Groups submitted their final reports towards the end of 2022, which have been published. The publication was timely as it then served to inform the Climate Action Plan 2023 which was launched in December 2022.

Since the reports were published, I have stated that, due to the lack of support from the farming organisations on proposals for a voluntary reduction scheme for the beef sector, such a scheme is now off the table.

I want to build a strong and sustainable future for today's farmers and the future generations of Irish farmers. To achieve this aim, I will continue to work collectively and collaboratively with farmers and their representatives to chart a pathway forward.