Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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95. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he and his Department continue to liaise with all the stakeholders, given the necessity to ensure soil management techniques are employed to reduce the possibility of soil compacting, which may result in surface flooding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46714/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Good soil management techniques are key to crop and livestock farming systems. Farmers in receipt of EU payments are expected to observe the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) requirements under CAP conditionality. Under conditionality, GAEC promotes agricultural practices that can help mitigate the risk and impact of flooding. Certain GAEC measures encourage positive soil management practices which can reduce erosion, improve water infiltration and maintain soil vegetative cover.

In addition, GAEC promotes good structured soils, and the maintenance of soil organic matter content, which in turn can absorb and retain water more effectively thereby reducing the runoff that can contribute to flood events.

Both I and my Department continue to liaise with stakeholders in the areas of Climate Change adaptation which includes droughts and flooding and are currently in discussions with Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), who are drafting the National Adaptation Framework and will have implications on the Sector specific Adaptation Plans. In addition my Department will work along side other Government Departments and other stakeholders when the discussions take place on the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive.