Making forestry "part and parcel" of farming in Ireland will be key to reaching climate neutrality, Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) chair Marie Donnelly has said.

In future, it's absolutely essential that we make progress in this area she said, speaking at the RDS Climate-Smart Agriculture Series on Thursday.

"Over the next number of years, we must move from a situation where our land is a source of emissions to at least being neutral balanced and over time that it becomes a sink.

“Starting the process of forestry, getting forestry understood as part and parcel of farming. Attitudinally, and unfortunately forestry is not really considered to be actually farming," she added.

Intrinsic

Forestry, she said, should be “intrinsic” to the community like it is in other countries, as it can also have a huge impact economically.

"In Ireland, 24% of our houses are timber framed. In Scotland, for example, that number in 75%. Timber-framed houses can be built for less and faster, so there is definitely space on a commercial level for more forestry," she said.

The new €1.3m investment by Government in tree planting is a huge help, she said, and increasing the payment period from 15 to 20 years will give investors and farmers more support over the lifetime of the forest.

"The reality is that we will still have emissions forever. Ultimately, we will have to have sufficient sinks, in terms of our forest," she said.

Peatlands a 'major source'

Ireland's peatlands are currently a major source of emissions and is another huge factor in reducing emissions, Donnelly said.

By rewetting the bogs, a huge contribution can be made to reaching our climate target of 25% by 2030, she said.

“Rewetting the bogs is a serious challenge, it’s one that we can do and we will do as soon as possible."

Ireland faces a very real challenge in reducing emissions in the agricultural sector, according to Donnelly.

"It means five to six million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, it’s not going to be easy, but it is achievable.

“We actually have the technologies and the pathways available to us today. The challenge that we have is awareness raising, knowledge transfer, support for farmers and implementation at farm level across the country,” she said.

Fertiliser use

A reduction in fertiliser use, paired with a shift in fertilisers such as CAN into protected urea, will play a huge role in meeting our targets, Donnelly said.

"Protected urea has a fivefold saving of greenhouse gas emissions. These could deliver almost half of the 25% reduction target," she said.

Organics

Organic farming is an opportunity for dairy farmers to move into as soon as possible, according to Donnelly.

"As we move forward, the market will begin to shift and pay a premium for organic beef and dairy products," she said.