Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy has challenged department officials over the emissions ceiling for agriculture, which was discussed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine (JOCAFM) yesterday (Wednesday, July 20).

The SF spokesperson for agriculture criticised the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) for not providing any further information on the final target.

The DECC is expected to announce the sectoral emissions ceiling next week, while measures to achieve any target of the 22-30% range are "under development", the JOCAFM heard.

"I would have hoped that today [is] an opportunity for us to get additional information, instead we have a two-page opening statement from the DECC that provides precisely zero additional information," the deputy said.

Addressing "failures" by the DECC to date, deputy Carthy said it is very likely that this year will see the lowest level of afforestation since the 1940s, the middle of World War II.

"In fact, what we have is a situation in that Ireland will become the best country, probably in the world, at setting ambitious targets, but the worst country at actually reaching them because these targets are set without a baseline plan," he said.

DECC officials told the committee yesterday that the core measures, such as greater rates of afforestation and anaerobic digestion, are outlined in the Climate Action Plan 2021.

When asked about how measures change depending on a lower or higher target, the department official said he did not have the data to determine at what point along the scale ambition rises.

Deputy Carthy also raised the point that both afforestation and anaerobic digestion are the two only specific areas that are not related to agricultural emissions in terms of credits.

There is no mechanism or proposal being made to assess the carbon sequestration, storage and emissions that are currently happening on farms, according to deputy Carthy. He added:

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is engaged, according to an official, "in a constructive process to fulfil the government's ambitions in this area. Unfortunately the solutions are still in development across the board".