Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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395. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the rationale behind the decision to include mineral soils under GAEC2 despite the clear intent that GAEC2 should solely apply to peatland and wetlands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13259/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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GAEC 2 (protection of carbon rich soils) is a baseline requirement under the CAP regulations and is legally required to be put in place for 2025 as part of the conditionality requirements for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payment scheme. The proposal which my Department has submitted to the European Commission for approval aims to strike the balance between the vital protection of peatlands and wetlands, and the farmer's right to continue with agricultural activity on this land.

Regarding your question on the inclusion of some mineral soils, conditionality requirements must be controlled at land parcel level. Trying to isolate parts of the parcel where activities can or cannot not take place is not practical and would be very difficult to control. If a farmer believes that their parcel should be split, or that it should not be included in the standard, they can appeal to my Department. However, if 50% or more of the parcel is identified in the map, then it is in scope.

To apply a different threshold than the 50% rule for GAEC 2 would either bring in far more mineral soils into the standard, or leave too much peat soils outside of the protection of the standard. I believe this percentage strikes the right balance.

The proposed map is well-understood and has been in use for many years. A clear, parcel approach based on well-understood maps is a fair way to ensure that we get the required protection in place without any uncertainty as to the requirements, or where they apply. It is in all our interests for farmers to have certainty.

The proposal does not prohibit any of the common practices that these lands are typically subject to. For grassland, reseeding is still possible, as is maintenance and repair of existing drains. New drains are also allowed, subject to the relevant planning legislation, which is already a requirement.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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396. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will take steps to amend Ireland’s proposal on GAEC2 in order that it is fairer for all farmers and not impact smaller family farms more than those larger farm enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13260/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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GAEC 2 (protection of carbon rich soils) is a baseline requirement under the CAP regulations, and is legally required to be put in place for 2025 as part of the conditionality requirements for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payment scheme. The proposal which my Department has submitted to the European Commission for approval aims to strike the balance between the vital protection of peatlands and wetlands, and the farmer's right to continue with agricultural activity on this land.

With regard to the impact on different farm sizes, all farms regardless of size are subject to conditionality requirements.

The proposal does not prohibit any of the common practices that these lands are typically subject to. For grassland, reseeding is still possible, as is maintenance and repair of existing drains. New drains are also allowed, subject to the relevant planning legislation, which is already a requirement.