Over 450 submissions have been made to a public consultation on the development of a national carbon farming framework, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has said.
The DAFM is leading the development of a carbon farming framework to support putting farmers, landowners, and foresters at the centre of meeting national climate objectives.
In total 457 responses were received to an online survey which the DAFM launched on September 26, and remained open for submissions until last Friday (November 3).
In the survey stakeholders were asked to provide input into the scope of a framework for Ireland, covering key areas such land use, funding, and market mechanisms.
The findings of this consultation will inform the decision making of a multi-stakeholder working group established by the DAFM to oversee the development of the framework.
Carbon farming
Carbon farming aims to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in soils and reward farmers for reducing emissions and increasing carbon sequestration.
However, to generate an income from removing and storing carbon in soils, forests, grasslands, croplands, and hedgerows, a well functioning framework is “essential”.
This is according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, who said that many challenges and uncertainty still remains around carbon farming.
This includes the establishment of baseline data, quantification and verification of emission reductions, and certification processes, Minister McConalogue said.
A proposal for a voluntary framework for carbon removal across Europe made by the European Commission in 2022 is currently being discussed in the European Parliament and Council.