MEPs want more flexibility for agriculture under climate targets

Farmers should have more scope to use the removal of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere achieved through forestry and better land management in offsetting emissions from agriculture, the MEPs said in their opinion on the proposed regulation.

The draft regulation prepared by the European Commission last year sets targets for greenhouse gas emission cuts by 2030 compared with 2005 levels. Ireland’s target for the so-called non-ETS sector, which includes agriculture and other areas such as transport, is 30% – the same as the EU average. Up to 5.6% of these may be offset by the removal of gases elsewhere in the land-based economy. This is known in climate change experts’ jargon as the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) sector.

The European Parliament’s agriculture committee is now saying that this flexibility should be much higher – up to 425mt of CO2 equivalent, instead of 280mt as initially proposed by the commission.

MEPs argue that this would better reflect the potential of LULUCF in absorbing greenhouse gases as recognised by European Commission studies, including the positive aspects of better forest management.

Limited mitigation potential of agriculture

“Both innovation in agriculture, through the introduction of ‘green’ techniques capable of protecting the soil, and the reduction of emissions from the agricultural sector need to be encouraged above all,” the MEPs wrote. “Given the limited mitigation potential it has as a sector, agriculture should benefit first and foremost from the net removals granted under this regulation,” they added.

In the case of Ireland, the amendment would mean that the greenhouse gas removals allowed to offset emissions would jump from 5.6% to 8.5% of the 30% required.

The MEPs also introduced amendments to include energy crops in the list of priorities to be developed in the European Union’s efforts to tackle climate change, with the next CAP specifically identified as the means to push farmers towards lower-emission agriculture.

Irish MEPs in favour

All Irish MEPs present on the day at the agriculture committee – Mairead McGuinness and Luke Ming Flanagan from the Republic and James Nicholson and Diane Dodds from Northern Ireland – voted in favour of the amendments, which were passed by 35 votes in favour and seven against.

The proposed regulation must be adopted by the wider European Parliament and the Council of European Ministers before it enters into force, with further amendments likely throughout the process.

In any case, positive contributions from activities that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere would have to be proven and accounted for before they can be used to offset emissions from agriculture.

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