Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, has published the findings of a public consultation on draft principles to shape a National Carbon Farming Framework.

Minister Heydon said: "Last year, I launched a public consultation on a draft set of principles to develop Carbon Farming in Ireland. I am very pleased with the overall response and engagement from stakeholders in this process."

The initiative delivers on commitments in the Programme for Government and the Climate Action Plan. In total, 59 submissions were received and three stakeholder workshops were held, attended by around 200 participants.

Minister Heydon said: "My priority is to engage with stakeholders in the development of new policy, and this consultation has provided my Department with valuable feedback and recommendations to inform the development of a National Carbon Farming Framework."

The consultation aimed to support policy formation and encourage adoption and scaling of Carbon Farming practices within primary agricultural production, contributing to Ireland's climate, biodiversity and water quality targets.

Minister Heydon added: "My ambition is to develop a framework that will give guidance to farmers, foresters, and landowners whilst providing confidence to those wishing to invest in Carbon Farming. The consultation sought input from stakeholders to shape a framework that can potentially diversify farm incomes." He continued: "The feedback provided on the publication of a draft set of principles will continue to inform policy development at a national level. However, I am also conscious there are developments at EU level under the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Certification Regulation (CRCF). It is important that any framework we develop aligns with the development of the CRCF regulation."

Minister Heydon concluded: "I want to continue my commitments to engage fully with all stakeholders on policy development, and I will shortly convene an extended working group of stakeholders, to include all farm bodies, to discuss the development of a National Carbon Farming Framework. I echo stakeholder feedback in saying that a successful framework must be simple, farmer-friendly, environmentally sustainable and cost-effective."

The report is available via the Department's website. Stakeholder input emphasised the importance of delivering a National Carbon Farming Framework to provide confidence and clear guidance for activity in Ireland; the need for a large-scale demonstration initiative to test approaches across farm types, integrate existing initiatives and ensure Carbon Farming complements, rather than replaces, productive agriculture; the establishment of a representative Governance Board and a Technical Committee to ensure consistent standards and alignment with the CRCF (EU/2024/3012); and the creation of an Irish Registry by public bodies, designed from the outset to be interoperable with the future EU Union Registry expected by 2028, to enhance transparency, integrity and investor confidence.