Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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379. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current situation with respect to carbon credits which may arise as a result of the planting of trees by farmers and other landowners; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52879/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Ireland is obliged to report on, and account for, all greenhouse gases in Ireland under our international obligations. This includes sequestration and emissions from agriculture and forestry. Sequestration and emissions for all types and ages of forests are included, based on the equivalent amount of CO2 removed from, or emitted to, the atmosphere.

The amount reported is based on a national estimate and is not reported for individual plantations or for each forest owner. Ireland's reporting and accounting does not imply ownership, but simply reflects the requirement for those reductions and emissions to be included in the State’s climate inventory.

The term 'carbon credit' is usually used in voluntary markets for activities that result in removing additional CO2 from the atmosphere based on set eligibility criteria.

Work is ongoing in the area of carbon farming at both at EU and national level. The EU Commission has developed a carbon removals and carbon farming regulation (CRCF) which will create the first EU-wide voluntary framework. The Commission is in the process of establishing tailored EU certification methodologies for different carbon removal activities, including forestry. My Department are engaged with the Commission on this process, in order to ensure that the methodologies developed have applicability for forest owners in Ireland.

At national level, my Department is leading the development of a Carbon Farming Framework to support putting farmers, landowners, and foresters at the centre of meeting our National Climate objectives. Work is ongoing in this area with a view to delivering a National Framework for Carbon Farming in Ireland, as outlined in the recent Programme for Government.