Carbon sequestration rights from woodlands cannot be sold by individual landowners because there is no framework for such trades, the Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue has insisted.

However, the minister did not directly reply when asked by Sinn Féin agriculture spokesperson Claire Kerrane about the ownership of carbon credits from forests planted under the new forestry programme.

There are mounting concerns that the State will seek to secure the carbon sequestration rights from woodlands planted under the new forestry programme.

In a written reply to Deputy Kerane’s parliamentary question, Minister McConalogue pointed out that there is no “accounting framework for farmers or other private individuals” to measure carbon sequestrations from forests and thereby no structure to validate and trade these carbon rights.

“Ireland is obliged to report and account for all greenhouse gases in Ireland under our international obligations and this includes sequestration and emissions from forestry,” McConalogue said.

“This does not imply ownership but simply reflects the requirement for those reductions and emissions to be included in the State’s climate inventory. There is no such similar mandatory accounting framework for farmers or other private individuals,” the minister insisted.

“Forest owners and organisations can pursue voluntary initiatives in the trading of carbon and other corporate social responsibility mechanisms,” he added.

In relation to the whole area of carbon farming, Minister McConalogue said Ireland was engaging with the Commission on the matter.

In November 2022, the European Commission proposed a new regulation to develop a framework for certifying carbon removals, which aims to offer incentives to farmers to upscale carbon farming within the EU. This initiative may be adopted by member states on a voluntary basis.

“The European Commission has set up an expert group to provide technical advice on the preparation of certification methodologies for carbon removals,” he said.

“These methodologies will set out how land-owners will be rewarded for removing carbon through their management activities,” Minister McConalogue outlined.

“The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) is representing Ireland on this expert group. My department is monitoring developments at an EU level and engaging with DECC to develop Ireland’s position on any amendments to the framework proposed,” Minister McConalogue added.