Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 April 2018
19. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which he expects the agriculture sector to adapt its practices in the future to make use of the new allowances provided for in the recently agreed effort sharing regulation legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18111/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe long term vision for the agriculture and land-use sector, including forestry, is an approach to carbon neutrality which does not compromise the capacity for sustainable food production. We are taking a number of steps on this pathway, with the Department funding a range of initiatives and schemes to improve the sustainability of the sector. Examples include over 50,000 farmers participating in GLAS and 30,000 farmers in the Beef Data Genomics Programme. The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) supports capital investment to promote sustainability with supports for low emissions slurry spreading equipment. These initiatives improve the efficiency of production lower the carbon footprint of food production.
Following the recent mid-term review of the Forestry Programme 2014-2020 we have availed of further opportunities to promote the planting of new forests and mobilisation of both timber and biomass, such as the increase in the supports for the Forestry for Fibre scheme and agroforestry.
The Effort Sharing Regulation includes the potential for Ireland to use up to a maximum annual flexibility of 5.6% of 2005 emissions, or 2.7 Mt CO2 eq per annum for the period 2021-2030, from Land use, Land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) in order to meet emission reduction requirements. Under the new LULUCF accounting rules, the sector cannot emit more carbon dioxide than it absorbs.
For Ireland, afforestation is the main cost effective land based climate mitigation tool available to us. Based on the 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 since 1990, net of deforestation. The remaining contribution will come from cropland and grassland management activities that can protect soil carbon pools by reducing emissions and further enhance soil carbon pools by enhancing removals (sequestration). Examination of measures in the current agri environment climate scheme (GLAS) funded under the RDP suggests that farmers would have a reasonable interest in measures that protect and enhance soil carbon pools provided incentives are reasonable and related to inconvenience and income foregone of actions involved.
It is important that this flexibility is not seen as an offsetting proposal but rather as an effort to broaden the “toolbox” of abatement options available to achieve targets. This is particularly true for a country like ours with a strong agriculture sector where existing abatement measures are costly and action in the LULUCF sector, that encourages removals and limits emissions, presents a more cost effective option.
Mobilising LULUCF credits is not free and will have significant financial costs and requires long term policy decisions.
