Lack of clarity still surrounds Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan’s plans to pay farmers for carbon.

Despite a commitment by the minister to reward farmers for carbon storage, the Irish Farmers Journal understands that the issue has now been referred to the Department of Agriculture.

Currently, it is understood that the Government’s preference is to pay farmers for practices which promote carbon sequestration, while improving biodiversity, air and water quality.

When asked by the Irish Farmers Journal if the Government plans to reward farmers for carbon sequestered under a measured and verified results-based system, as outlined in last week’s Irish Farmers Journal, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) referred the matter to the Department of Agriculture.

Without a measured and verified carbon monitoring scheme in place, farmers are not likely to be able to access carbon markets

Excitement is building both at farm and industry level at the prospects of generating and trading carbon credits on farmland and creating new income streams.

However, a spokesperson for the DECC stated that a trading system does not exist for carbon on a private landowner scale.

Without a measured and verified carbon monitoring scheme in place, farmers are not likely to be able to access carbon markets under a proposed carbon farming scheme and may have to accept a lower value for their carbon.

The spokesperson went on to state: “In terms of policy options for the agriculture and land use sectors, there is potential to reward farmers and landowners for optimising carbon sequestration while enhancing biodiversity, improving water and air quality, producing clean energy, and developing schemes that support results-based outcomes.”

Industry

Several private companies are now in the process of developing new and existing trading platforms to allow farmers to access carbon markets.

Farmers will soon have the option of privately generating and trading soil carbon credits, but it is unclear how this will work alongside a Government-led carbon farming scheme.