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A carbon farming framework for Irish landowners will be finalised in early 2024, a policy officer at the European Commission’s DG AGRI has confirmed.
Valerie Forlin told attendees at a carbon certification webinar hosted by Séan Kelly MEP on Wednesday that the framework will be rolled out before the European elections next June.
Such a framework will allow farmers to verify the carbon sequestered on their lands and provide them with an avenue to sell the credits.
Carbon credits
While EU policymakers have discussed the potential of a framework which only allows the sale of carbon credits within the agri-food sector, Forlin said that, for now, farmers will be free to market their credits to any potential buyer.
MEP Colm Markey said such a move will deliver the strongest possible market for farmers’ carbon and that it “creates an opportunity to bring more money into agriculture”.
However, Prof John Gilliland of Devenish warned that allowing companies such as airlines to “run away with our carbon” could potentially be an “own goal”.
SHARING OPTIONS: