I am sure the Minister received emails as I have this week from constituents alarmed at recent media reports about the negotiations on sectoral emissions targets. I met early this week with Friends of the Earth, which warned that any reduction in ambition in one sector would be the increase of targets for other sectors to impossible levels. Indeed, in the words of Professor Hannah Daly, implausible levels.

In particular, we know that demands are being made by farming groups that agriculture’s target be no more than 22%. However, of course, this would have knock-on effects for other sectors, such as transport, energy and so on.

Can the Minister offer reassurances that Government will insist on a fair approach to emissions targets across sectors? When will we see publication of the sectoral emission ceilings? Will it be next week before the Dáil rises or will it be later in July?

It will be imminent. I cannot commit in the same way I did previously, that the regulations will come next week before the Dáil rises, because this is difficult and complex. It is not just the likes of agriculture, which attracts much of the public attention. In the Department of Transport, the scale of what needs to be done is beyond compare. It is the same in the industrial sector. What we need to do is a complete transformation of everything in the whole swath of different areas of our society. It is better get that right and bring people with us.

For agriculture, the way we will bring people with us and make the leap and scale is to provide income through new mechanisms as we decarbonise. This will bring a whole new generation of young people into forestry, farming, renewable energy and carbon farming. That is part of where we will see each sector playing its role.

On that exact point, national afforestation rates have actually decreased since the Green Party entered Government. The programme for Government set out a target of 8,000 ha of new forest per year, but somehow we are only planting 2,000 ha. The licensing system is still not fit for purpose and afforestation incentives are not competitive with other farm subsidies. Despite the fact that many farms would be financially better off with forestry, the policy of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has pushed farmers away from forestry when it is vitally needed as a carbon sequestration measure to counteract other agricultural areas. I do not need to tell the Minister that it has multiple economic, environmental and climate action benefits.

While national milk and beef targets are being met through Government incentives, the forestry target has not been met and it is nowhere near it. The Government is currently reaching a dismal 25% of the target. We need climate action now. We drastically need enhanced forest premiums for farmers and a functioning licensing system. Will this Government please actually prioritise forestry?

Two things have the potential to transform that and they will be delivered in the autumn. The first is a regulations law that the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, is working on to help farmers. It does not always have to be the case where one takes the whole farm and covers everything in a single monoculture clear-fell forest model. Instead, we will start giving flexibility to farmers to put in native wildlife trees. The second key regulation to go with it is the European Commission committing to introduce a regulation in the autumn that will pay for carbon storage. I believe it will allow that carbon credit to accrue to the farmer, who will be able to borrow or invest for future income. Those few measures coming this autumn will be transformative to see that rate of forestation increase.

In a shameful decision yesterday, the European Union voted to greenwash fossil, gas and nuclear power. I note that all, bar one, of the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil MEPs voted the wrong way. The Green Party MEPs voted the right way, in other words, not to greenwash fossil, gas and nuclear power.

There are four days, until 11 July, for the Irish Government and the Minister, Deputy Ryan, as the Minister responsible, to lodge an objection to this outcome to the European Council. I am asking the Minister please not to go off on a tangent and give me all sorts of what is in his mind. I ask him to answer me. Will he lodge an objection to the European Council within the next four days to this utterly shameful greenwashing of fossil, gas and nuclear power?

No, I do not expect to do so. However, I expect the Austrian and Luxembourg Governments to take a case that would be resolved in the courts, not in the European Council.