Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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496. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide clarification on when Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) 2 will be implemented in Ireland; the measures that are likely to be included (details supplied); and if he will provide an assurance that any measures will not have an economic or social impact on affected farmers and a full impact assessment will be completed before any measures are introduced. [42639/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Conditionality under CAP is compulsory. It covers nine GAEC standards including GAEC 2 (Protection of Peatland and Wetlands) as well as eleven Statutory Management requirements (SMRs). and is a minimum requirement for receiving any area-based payments from the Common Agricultural Policy.

Conditionality ensures a certain minimum public/environmental good is achieved through CAP payments. The principle of Conditionality is long established under the CAP.

The EU rules governing the CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027 require each Member State including Ireland to establish minimum or so-called baseline requirements/standards under each GAEC. These standards (other than GAEC 2 and CAEC 7) are in force since 1 January 2023. Ireland used a provision in the regulation to defer the implementation for GAEC 2 until 2024, so as to facilitate the completion of the mapping aspect of these soils. The actual requirements to be implemented are yet to be decided and a stakeholder consultation process is currently underway to assist this process. The GAEC 2 standard will subsequently be introduced to the CAP Strategic Plan by way of an amendment, which will be subject to the approval by the European Commission.

It is anticipated that the finalised requirements will endeavour to take into account the need to facilitate “normal agriculture practice” as far as practicable. Noting in particular, that under the EU rules (Regulation 2115/2021) Ireland is obliged to ensure that on the land concerned, an agricultural activity suitable for qualifying the land as agricultural area may be maintained. Thus, while the requirements have yet to be agreed, it is anticipated that they will facilitate the continuation of agricultural activities whilst setting out some basic minimum best practices intended to protect these carbon rich areas, which is the key objective of this standard.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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497. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that ammonia is exported to Britain in liquid form; if he will provide details on the reason that it is permitted for use in Ireland only in granular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42653/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Decisions in relation to the export of ammonia to Great Britain are commercial decisions.

Fertiliser containing ammonia in both liquid and granular form can be marketed in Ireland, once labelling and nutrient content requirements are met and it complies with either National or EU fertiliser legislation.