Carbon Farming Will Only Work if Farmers are Properly Rewarded

IFA Environment & Rural Affairs Chair John Murphy said carbon farming in Ireland will only succeed if it is farmer-focused, voluntary, economically attractive and built on existing trusted structures and national initiatives.

He said the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s report on the public consultation for a National Carbon Farming Framework contains a number of constructive elements. However, significant concerns remain around additionality, whole-farm approaches and the practical implications for farmers.

“Farmers will only engage with carbon farming where the financial return is worthwhile, predictable and transparent. Any carbon price must adequately cover certification, verification and auditing costs and provide a meaningful income for farmers,” said Mr. Murphy.

“IFA would have serious concerns around proposals favouring a whole-farm balance-sheet approach. This approach risks creating unnecessary restrictions on normal farm operations, reducing flexibility and making participation unworkable for many farmers. A one-size-fits-all whole-farm model does not reflect the diversity of farming systems in this country,” he said.

He said that carbon farming should operate on a project-based approach that allows farmers to participate in specific actions without exposing the entire farm business to additional liabilities or constraints.

“Carbon farming must complement productive agriculture and ensures that food production and rural viability remain at the centre of Ireland’s just climate transition.”

Mr. Murphy said farmers also require absolute clarity that public funding for carbon farming will be outside the CAP budget and will not impact eligibility for CAP payments.

“Farmers cannot accept any further erosion of existing direct supports for food production to finance future carbon farming initiatives,” said Mr. Murphy.

On additionality, he warned that the current approach risks penalising farmers who have already adopted climate-friendly practices or maintained valuable carbon stocks in grasslands and hedgerows over many years.

“The framework must recognise and reward existing sequestration and ongoing good practice. Early adopters cannot be disadvantaged simply because they acted ahead of policy developments,” said Mr. Murphy.

“IFA will continue to engage constructively with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure that any future framework is practical, farmer-centred, environmentally credible and economically sustainable,” he concluded.