Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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49. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the acreage of agricultural land which he envisages will be devoted to new bio-based activities by 2030 under plans for biofuels and anaerobic digestion, and so on; and how the price of feedstock will be set to ensure stable income to growers. [25752/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Farmers are key stakeholders who have a vital role to play in upscaling the biomethane industry in Ireland. Without farmers, the industry will not develop at the required scale.

The Programme for Government 2020 committed to a Land Use Review to ensure relevant land use options inform Government Decisions. It was one of the key considerations during the formation of the recently published National Biomethane Strategy which was co-led by my Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Teagasc estimate that, at a national level, total land area of less than 5% of all available land will be needed to produce the silage to feed the AD biomethane plants required to reach the 5.7 TWh biomethane target by 2030. This equates to approximately 120,000 hectares.

The price of feedstock will be determined by the market. It is envisaged that a stable income for farmers will arise from the diversification opportunity. Importantly, however, it must make financial sense for farmers.

The Climate Action Plan 2024 (CAP 24) states that reaching the 2030 emission reduction targets in the agriculture sector requires supports and options available for farmers to transition to alternative land uses through diversification options. The recently published National Biomethane Strategy will act as a blueprint for the development of this sector and my recent announcement of the Biomethane capital grant will help to kickstart the industry.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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50. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to change the overrepresentation of females in lower grades within farming bodies and their underrepresentation in senior positions within these same farming bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25631/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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While the organisation of farm bodies is a matter for themselves and is not my responsibility, gender equality is a key a priority for me. Current CAP Regulations place particular focus on promoting women’s participation in the development of rural areas, with special attention to farming. Good progress has been made in this area and under Ireland’s new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) I am actively promoting gender equality, through initiatives such as;

• An increased grant rate of 60% under the Capital Investment Scheme to fund investments by trained women farmers.
• The option to establish women-only Knowledge Transfer Groups.
• Improved recording and reporting of gender data and the leveraging of the National CAP Network to increase the involvement of all women in the implementation of CAP.
• European Innovation Partnership open call for proposals on “innovative approaches to support greater gender balance in farming in Ireland.

Ireland’s agri-food strategy, Food Vision 2030 recognises the importance of gender balance to the long-term sustainable future for primary producers. In this regard, it should be acknowledged that the farm bodies were active participants in the Committee that developed Food Vision. The strategy includes actions to promote and improve gender balance at all levels within the sector.

I am a strong advocate of the need for greater female representation on the State Boards under my remit. Of the board positions that have become available since I was appointed Minister, I have appointed 47 females. Of this, 28 were new female appointments, 19 were re-appointments of existing female candidates. At the time of my appointment only 2 out of 12 boards had reached the 40% gender target, whereas now 8 out of 13 have reached this target. All boards are asked to nominate both male and female candidates for roles and I will continue to progress this across all boards.

In addition a National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture was held in February 2023 which examined gender equality in farming and the agri-food sector generally. A report and action plan were published earlier this year. A working group has been established to oversee implementation of the action plan. I also wrote to the CEOs of state bodies under my remit encouraging them to engage with the group and to consider how they might implement relevant actions within their organisations.

While I have no responsibility for the running of farming bodies, I would encourage them to reflect on the importance of equal representation and to do all they can to ensure there is a strong female representation at all levels of their organisations which mirrors their membership.