Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Carbon Farming is a potential enabler in assisting the agricultural and land use sectors in meeting Ireland’s climate targets as set out in its most recent Climate Action Plan (2024) as well as providing a potential new income stream for farmers in the future.

To support the development of a National Carbon Farming Framework, my Department is working with EIT Climate KIC on a Flagship project on ‘Valorisation of Ecosystem Services’.

My Department also held a public consultation in September 2023 on Carbon Farming and positive feedback was received from stakeholders regarding the opportunity to diversify farm income. Stakeholders were supportive of an approach that included carbon removal, greenhouse gas reductions and biodiversity measures in a National Carbon Farming Framework. Furthermore, stakeholders considered it important that the Framework supports and compliments the environmental measures within the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027.

In parallel with the public consultation, I established the Carbon Farming Working Group to oversee the development of the Framework. Key areas of focus include identifying existing knowledge relevant to the establishment of baseline data, making recommendations for pathways to address knowledge gaps, assessing future auditing requirements including the Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of carbon removals/reductions, the development of voluntary carbon codes and the identification of best practice governance structures.

Nationally, there are knowledge and data gaps that will need to be bridged to support carbon farming and that is why I have identified and funded a number of key research and demonstration activities that will also help to provide baseline information on key activities within the agricultural and land use sectors. By way of example, Teagasc have recently launched a country wide network of Signpost Farms to showcase how best practice management techniques can be adopted on a wide range of enterprises and soil types.

A National Carbon Farming Framework is a necessary first step to support our farmers/land managers in the areas of carbon removal, emission reductions, and ecosystem services. In the meantime, I will continue to provide financial support for farmers providing eco system services through a variety of EU and nationally funded schemes.