Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1717. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given that agriculture accounted for 34.3% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 and given that a reduction in the number of cattle is essential to reduce emissions from this sector, even allowing for technological advances that reduce individual cattle emissions, if he will outline how the 25% reduction in these emissions relative to 2018 levels can be realistically achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20020/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Climate Action Plan 2025 includes a range of measures to reduce emissions from agriculture by 25%. These include reductions in the use of chemical nitrogen, the substitution of inhibited urea for other forms of fertiliser, reductions in the protein content of animal feed and improvements in breeding technologies to allow earlier finishing of beef cattle and a focus on low methane traits.

In addition, diversification opportunities, including organic farming, forestry and tillage, and the National Biomethane strategy which will provide an alternative use for grass forage and slurry and contribute to reductions in emissions from agriculture and to the delivery of Ireland’s renewable energy targets.

My Department and its agencies continue to invest in research across of range of climate change mitigation headings, and there is significant potential for technologies such as methane reducing feed additives to contribute to abatement in the livestock sector.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s report of July 2024 “Ireland’s Provisional Greenhouse Gas Emissions 1990 - 2023” sets out that Agriculture emissions decreased by 4.6% in 2023. While this decrease represents notable progress, I am conscious of the need to maintain and accelerate this trajectory.