Niamh Smyth
Ceist:178. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49550/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 22 November 2017
Ceisteanna (178)
Freagraí scríofa
My Department is actively involved with the farming sector in supporting initiatives to contribute positively to climate change mitigation including through sequestration and renewable energy.
Food Wise 2025 sets out a cohesive, strategic plan for the sustainable development of agri-food sector over the next decade. As part of the initial ground work to Food Wise 2025, a public consultation took place which involved 15 background papers and a questionnaire. These included a particular focus on climate change and sustainability.
We are committed to ensuring that the sector continues to grow sustainably so that Ireland can play its part in meeting the increasing global food demand while having regard to Ireland’s climate obligations. It is independently and internationally recognised that ours is a climate and resource efficient agri-food production system and we are working with all stakeholders to find even greater efficiencies.
A number of initiatives are being undertaken to make the farming sector even more environmentally sustainable, including measures under the Rural Development Programme (RDP), which is worth almost €4 billion over 7 years. The Department’s implementation of its RDP has seen significant focus on the targeting of support interventions. This Programme is aimed strongly towards environmental benefits, including knowledge transfer programmes, which will bring the latest innovative sustainability research and practices direct to farmers.
The Knowledge Transfer Programme supports the roll-out of best practice on farms, while improved efficiency of the national suckler herd is being achieved through the Beef Data and Genomics scheme.
The Agri-Environment scheme GLAS has 50,000 participants. It is based on prioritised eligibility based on environmental objectives such as hedgerow and tree planting, minimum tillage and encouraging the sustainable management of upland peatlands.
In tandem there is a focus on sustainability through the ‘Origin Green’ programme. Under the Origin Green programme Ireland is a world leader in areas such as sustainable auditing and carbon foot-printing. Origin Green is a strategic priority in Food Wise 2025.
Initiatives such as the Carbon Navigator tool also assist, as does Teagasc through its advisory, research and education programmes.
The Pasture Profit Index and the Agricultural Catchments Programme help to reduce carbon emissions per unit of output produced and protect our rivers.
Furthermore the establishment and maintenance of landscape features (for example Ecological Focus Areas under CAP Pillar I) can assist with achieving other environmental objectives which are expected of land, such as water and biodiversity management, in addition to carbon sequestration benefits.
Regarding renewable energy Anaerobic Digesters (AD), to date, this has played a limited role in promoting and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions as methane emissions from the storage and management of animal slurries only compose approx. 12% of the total methane emissions arising from agriculture and the scale of Irish farms are small. Methane accounts for approximately 22% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions and, of this, approximately 12% of methane emissions result from the storage and management of animal manures.
It remains however an opportunity to recover methane with consequent climate change benefits. AD plants can take in waste animal products including slurry, meat products, waste food, silage etc. The gas produced in an AD plant may be used to produce electricity, through a Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP), or may be used to supply “Green Gas” (biomethane) to the gas network.
Afforestation is the main cost effective land based climate mitigation tool available to Ireland including the provision of sustainable source of wood biomass for energy purposes.
Forests have the potential to sequester and store large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which can then be harvested as wood products, and these continue to store carbon over the long term and be employed as a sustainable source of fuel. In this way forests directly sequester carbon and substitute other materials that are associated with high levels of emissions such as steel, concrete and fossil fuels. Forests will play an important role in meeting EU emissions reductions targets during the 2021-2030 period.
Over the period 2021 to 2030, projections show that 4.5 MT of CO2 eq may be removed annually from the atmosphere by afforestation that has occurred since 1990. Based on proposed accounting rules under the LULUCF proposal 2.2 MT of CO2 eq is forecast to be accountable against our Effort Sharing Regulation targets from afforestation. In 2016 6,500 ha of new forests were planted in Ireland under the afforestation scheme. The overall target is to expand Ireland’s forest estate from 11% to 18% by mid-century.
Agriculture and afforestation are intrinsically linked in Ireland. Every new hectare of afforestation comes directly from agriculture.
My Department will continue to invest in and engage in initiatives aimed at sustainable farming, climate change mitigation and renewable energy.