A report on Ireland's Climate Action Plan for the first two quarters of 2026 has found that two key actions in the agriculture sector are delayed.

The progress report on the Climate Action Plan was published today (Thursday, July 30) by the government.

The progress report - which was published "following consideration by government" - focusses on six sectors with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland.

One of these is agriculture, which accounted for 37% of national emissions in 2025.

This doesn't include emissions from grassland used for farming, which is accounted for within the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector.

Of the emissions coming from agriculture, methane accounted for 70%, originating mostly from enteric fermentation in ruminant animals (cattle and sheep) and manure management.

According to data from the EPA, emissions from agriculture are expected to decrease by between 4% and 19% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels, with the decreases caused by reduced cattle numbers (which fell below 7 million in June last year) and fertiliser use.

While this is an improvement on projections from last year, the updated projections are said to be due in large part to revised historic emissions totals for agriculture, rather than as a result of any new policies or actions.

Even with the most recently projected decreases, emissions would still not meet the 2030 target reduction for agriculture of 25% compared to 2018.

The report noted that two actions for the agriculture sector in the Climate Action Plan remain incomplete.

The Climate Action Plan is updated with new legislation every year.

One of the incomplete actions for agriculture stems from the 2025 action plan, and relates to access to feed for the organic livestock sector; and the other comes from the 2024 action plan and related to the publication of a Carbon Farming Framework.

The progress report gives special attention to the Carbon Farming Framework, and how it can achieve a further emissions reduction.

The report says that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine was due to to publish a draft Carbon Farming Framework by the end of Q2 of 2024, but that this is now two years delayed.

The latest news on that framework came in May this year, when Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon published a report on the public consultation on a draft set of principles to develop a National Carbon Farming Framework.

The new Climate Action Plan progress report notes that carbon farming includes activity that leads to greater storage of carbon in living biomass, dead organic matter and soils by enhancing carbon capture, or decreasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

It includes farm management activity that removesand stores carbon in soils and vegetation, such as planting hedgerows and trees; raising the water table on peaty grasslands; incorporating straw into soils; and cover cropping.

It may also include direct efforts to reduce emissions from farming such as adopting low emission technologies like protected urea, and by improving efficiencies through better animal nutrition and genetics.

According to the report, the EU anticipates that carbon farming will remove several hundred million tonnes of CO2 per annum by 2030, which "will be critical to achieving climate neutrality across member states".

The report states that a National Carbon Farming Framework would "help to facilitate, recognise and ultimately reward farmers and land managers" in Ireland for these kinds of actions.

It would also allow them to derive a new income stream that benefits climate action, biodiversity and water quality.

Despite the delay in publishing a Carbon Farming Framework, the Climate Action Plan report acknowledged that "significant work has been undertaken to date in pursuit of this action".

It notes that a National Carbon Farming Framework is currently in draft form, with the Department of Agriculture expected to publish it later this year.