John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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464. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration is being given to targeted supports for farmers engaging in emissions reduction measures under the climate action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40855/26]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Irish agri-food sector is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. My Department is assisting farmers with their transition to more sustainable practices while also supporting family farm incomes with a budget of €9.8bn under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan. In ACRES, which is Ireland’s €1.5 billion flagship agri-environmental scheme 2023-2027, 54,000 farmers are contributing to a range of environmental, biodiversity, climate and water quality objectives. This has resulted in the planting of over 500,000 trees and over 2,500 kilometres of new hedgerows nationally, and I have secured an additional allocation of €280 million for ACRES in 2026 to continue this work.

I have also increased funding for Organic Farming which has resulted in 248,000 hectares currently being farmed organically in Ireland. Since 2021, the number of farmers in the Organic Farming Scheme has increased by 221% to 5,500, and I have allocated €58.6 million for 2026 to ensure continued progress.

I have allocated €260m to the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) to improve the genetic merit and the carbon efficiency of our national beef herd.

A budget of €1.3 billion underpins our National Forestry Programme, and for 2026, I have increased the allocation by 5.7% to €93 million which is supporting farmers and industry to reach climate targets by way of carbon capture.

My Department is providing additional financial supports to assist with emissions-reducing technologies, and for 2026 I have allocated €88 million to the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS). Uptake of emission reducing technology at farm level is evident and according to the EPA 70% of slurry was spread using Low Emission Slurry Spreading, or LESS, technology in 2024.

Addressing climate change is a significant challenge for the Agriculture sector, however, my Department is committed to meeting its targets and continuing to support farm families in the transition to more sustainable practise.