Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the governance and oversight of the Climate Action Plan process, the Department of An Taoiseach publish, on a quarterly basis, progress reports on the status of the actions within the Climate Action Plan (CAP) for 2021 and 2023.

These reports are available online: www.gov.ie/en/publication/55fde-climate-action-important-publications

All actions assigned to the agriculture sector under CAP21 were completed and/or carried over to the CAP23. Similarly, the draft CAP24 which was published on December 20 2023 will build on the actions of CAP23 and-or carry forward any delayed actions. These actions will be progressed and monitored throughout the course of CAP24 as per previous plans.

Currently, five actions for the Agriculture sector are incomplete as of Q4 2023 and these will be included in the CAP24 and will be prioritised for completion as soon as possible. It is not possible to assign a specific abatement to these actions.

The 25% sectoral emission ceiling set for the agriculture sector is a challenging target and will require scientific and technological advancements, including reducing chemical nitrogen usage and changing fertiliser type; providing voluntary diversification options for farmers, and improving the environmental dividends from our farmed land. These measures are supported by a range of actions, setting out a viable pathway towards reaching Agriculture’s target.

The actions set out in the CAP are supported through enhanced targeted supports set out in Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (CSP 2023-2027) under the remit of schemes such as Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS), Agri-Climate Rural Environmental Scheme (ACRES), Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), Protein Aid Scheme, Tillage Incentive Scheme (TIS) and Straw Incorporation Scheme. The CAP Strategic Plan has seen a significant increase in national co-funding, bringing the total budget to almost €10 billion.

Ireland is progressing our climate commitments with respect to reduced management intensity on soils and afforestation, supported by DAFM’s investment in the establishment of a ‘National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory’. The Irish Government is will investing €1.3 billion in Irish forestry over the next five years. The National Forestry Programme for 2023 to 2027 will see an increase in forestry premiums of between 46% and 66%.

Mitigating agricultural emissions will require a sustained research effort. DAFM is supporting a number of research projects and initiatives to develop the necessary technologies to facilitate the move to a more sustainable agricultural sector with reduced emissions. DAFM has provided funding of €8m to 12 Methane related research projects over the last 5 years. The “METH-ABATE” project (funded by DAFM) is looking at the development and validation of novel technologies to reduce methane emissions from pasture based Irish agricultural systems.

This targeted, multifaceted approach will set Ireland on a positive trajectory in the context of the Agricultural carbon budget.