Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 October 2020
267. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to fund a carbon sequestration programme similar to the agricultural sustainability support and advice programme which would offer free advice and guidance to all farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29043/20]
View answerThe ASSAP is an important targeted measure in the second River Basin Management Plan published in April 2018. This is an innovative Government and industry initiative running from 2018 to 2021 and is a well-structured collaborative initiative involving all stakeholders to facilitate improvements in water quality. The Department scheme to establish new native woodlands is promoted under ASSAP as a measure to help protect and enhance water quality.
Teagasc forestry staff currently provide comprehensive training and advisory support to all farmers which includes provision of guidance and advice on the range of options available for carbon sequestration, through integration of trees on the farm. My Department is further supporting Teagasc in developing a forest carbon online tool. This tool will be freely available and will provide indicative carbon sequestration trends for the range of available planting categories and different species groups. It will provide useful information on potential carbon sequestration by trees at farm level. This is the first iteration of such a forest carbon tool and will be available by the end of the year.
The current Forestry Programme supports opportunities for carbon sequestration on the farm by providing grants and premiums for afforestation. This programme is due to end in 2020 but delays in finalising the new CAP regulations means that this will extend into 2021. Work on a new Forestry Programme is due to start in the coming months which will involve an extensive public consultation process and engagement with stakeholders across the forest sector. My Department would be happy to give consideration to a submission on this subject within this framework.
