Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
52. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if carbon credits from the on-farm production of biogas goes to the farmer and place of production and not to the transport or energy sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42106/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraLast July the Government, as required by the Climate Act 2021, approved a number of Sectoral Emissions Ceilings (SEC). The SEC for the Agriculture Sector will see a 25% reduction of emissions over the 2018 baseline by 2030. There are numerous actions required over the decade to achieve this reduction, one of which is an increase in our ambition for biomethane production from 1.6 TWh up to 5.7 TWh by the end of the decade. The production of bioenergy, either biogas or biomethane, has co-benefits for both the agriculture sector and the energy sector. The emissions savings for the agriculture sector at that scale of biomethane production come from the removal of methane associated with manure, which is used as a feedstock, and the displacement of fertiliser which can be sourced from the digestate from an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant. Producing biomethane in this way abates carbon emissions in the agriculture sector while displacing emissions in the energy sector, all the while providing alternative income streams for family farms.
While the agriculture sector currently does not have a carbon credit system, the Climate Action Plan 2021 has also committed to explore the development of a carbon farming model, with the potential for trading. This system would seek to rewards farmers for emissions reductions and removals, which is in line with EU policy direction. Such an approach will require the establishment of baseline data, auditing, the development of voluntary carbon codes, leveraging of private financing through public/private partnerships, and the putting in place of governance structures. It should be noted that agriculture policy formation, including for carbon farming, is the direct responsibility of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. However, my Department is engaging with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on these matters from an emissions perspective.
