Dail Éireann · 2022-05-26
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The European Commission has identified a gap between the CAP strategic plan and the climate action plan vis-à-vis the targets. Will the Minister identify how he plans to bridge that gap and how we will reach the target of achieving a reduction of 1.2 megatonnes in emissions, as identified by the European Commission under the CAP strategic plan?
The first driver is through public supports and incentives including the new Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan for 2023-27, which contains a range of new measures to drive behavioural change at farm level, for example, through strengthened conditionality; a new eco-scheme; an ambitious new Pillar 2 environmental scheme; and a significantly enhanced organic farming scheme, underpinned by extensive training of farmers and advisers and a fivefold increase in funding for organic farming.
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The European Commission has identified a gap between the CAP strategic plan and the climate action plan vis-à-vis the targets. Will the Minister identify how he plans to bridge that gap and how we will reach the target of achieving a reduction of 1.2 megatonnes in emissions, as identified by the European Commission under the CAP strategic plan? I want to hear about the measures and how the Minister intends to fund those measures.
As highlighted previously, the Climate Action Plan 2021 sets very ambitious and challenging targets for the agriculture and land use sector in reducing emissions as a key contribution to the overall economy-wide 51% target by 2030. My policy approach to achieving our climate targets in the agriculture, land use and forestry sectors centres on four different drivers of change.
The first driver is through public supports and incentives including the new Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan for 2023-27, which contains a range of new measures to drive behavioural change at farm level, for example, through strengthened conditionality; a new eco-scheme; an ambitious new Pillar 2 environmental scheme; and a significantly enhanced organic farming scheme, underpinned by extensive training of farmers and advisers and a fivefold increase in funding for organic farming.
The second driver is through regulation and focusing on reducing nitrogen allowances, the mandatory use of low emission manure technology and the use of nitrogen-fixing clover. The third driver is through market and private industry incentives, where industry will play a significant role in driving on farm change. The fourth driver for this change will be through new technologies, innovation and diversification opportunities that can deliver significant emissions reductions.
Industry incentives will also be needed to ensure they are fully adopted at farm level.
This includes innovations such as feed additives, income diversification into areas such as anaerobic digestion and the development of carbon farming models. As I have repeatedly indicated, and as is acknowledged in the Climate Action Plan 2021, a whole-of-government, whole-of-industry approach will be needed to achieve our overall climate objectives as the CAP strategic plan alone will not be able to deliver on all the changes required. By working together, I am confident in the sector's ability to achieve its climate targets without compromising food production. We are a sustainable food producing nation and we want to ensure the work we are doing does not compromise our status. Our farm families are already sustainable and we must work to future-proof the sector for the next generation and beyond.
I want to pick up on the point about regulation with respect to nitrogen. We regulate nitrogen primarily to protect our rivers. Is the Minister looking at regulating nitrogen to reduce greenhouse gases as well? It is important to put that on the record of the House.
The Minister did not talk about rewetting peatlands. The CAP strategic plan identifies 40,000 ha of peatlands and the climate action plan 80,000 ha, but there are 300,000 ha of emitting peaty soils in the country. The CAP strategic plan is worth €2 billion a year. We need to direct that €2 billion to supporting farmers and providing environmental benefits. It is remiss of us that we are not sufficiently addressing the rewetting of bogs. I ask the Minister to clarify the matter of nitrogen regulation.
Water quality is essential. We have to take steps to improve it and the regulation of nitrogen and fertiliser is important in that regard. It also delivers in reducing emissions. There will be great potential over the years ahead to work towards using more clover in swards and multispecies swards, which reduces significantly the need for chemical fertiliser but is also beneficial from a food production and biodiversity point of view. Rewetting is a key part of the CAP plan, as is forestry. We will be stepping those measures out over the next number of years and they can deliver real benefits from an emissions point of view.