481. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether he will provide funding in Budget 2027 for a dedicated Agricultural Emissions Reduction Pilot Fund to support the testing and adoption of innovative emissions reduction technologies on commercial farms; and if he will outline the Government's plans to support evidence-based investment in practical measures that assist farmers in meeting climate targets while maintaining productivity and competitiveness. [66684/26]

The Irish Agriculture sector is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. My Department is assisting farmers with their transition to more sustainable practices while also supporting family farm incomes with a budget of €9.8bn under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan. In ACRES my Department is supporting 54,000 farmers in contributing to a range of environmental, biodiversity, climate and water quality objectives. A budget of €1.3 billion underpins our National Forestry Programme which is supporting farmers and industry to reach climate targets by way of carbon capture. My Department is providing additional financial supports to assist with emissions-reducing technologies, and in 2026 I allocated €88 million to the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS).

My Department has devoted substantial resources in recent years to research that will develop technologies and practices to reduce agricultural emissions. For example, in our joint research initiative on climate with New Zealand alone, almost €10m was awarded to eleven projects over three years. This builds on national research funded through my Department’s thematic research calls, the most recent of which in 2025 saw, €1.5million awarded to a project that aims to reduce methane emissions in Irish beef systems through strategic use of feed additives and early life interventions. I am committed to continuing to fund this research, and I recently opened a new joint research call with the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries focused on understanding, quantifying and evaluating the cumulative impact, interactions and implementation potential of greenhouse gas mitigations, including stacked mitigation approaches, in a pastoral bovine system over a full production cycle. I expect to announce the successful projects from this Call in 2027.

My Department will continue to support the Teagasc Signpost Farms Programme which is a national programme involving all major industry stakeholders in a “whole-of-industry” approach to tackling climate change. The programme is focused on the demonstration of existing and future climate mitigation and adaptation measures and technologies within commercial farm settings. The 120 demonstration farms act as exemplars, showcasing technologies and motivating wider adoption across the sector.

Addressing climate change is a significant challenge for the Agriculture sector, however, my Department is committed to meeting its targets and continuing to support farm families in taking climate action while also improving the economic and social sustainability of their farm enterprises.