Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
221. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment what measures his Department is taking to assist the food sector in meeting reduction targets, as set out in the Climate Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40341/23]
View answerMy Department is actively pursuing opportunities for decarbonisation in the food sector, we are integrating climate action into all aspects of the Department and its agencies’ activities. I am determined that we can foster strong, resilient businesses, that are successful and sustainable, while meeting our sector’s climate targets. Decarbonising industry and enterprise are also key to Ireland’s economy and future competitiveness. The link between fossil fuels and economic development is in the process of being completely decoupled.
The White Paper on Enterprise 2022 - 2030 recognised that the agri-food sector in particular, will require significant transformation to transition to low carbon business models, and prepare for net zero food production. The Government is committed to designing and implementing specific sectoral policy interventions such that Ireland will be a leader in innovation, R&D and new product development in these sectors, building on the Food Vision 2030 for agri-food, in order to access a transforming global market. This proactive approach will open significant new opportunities and markets, whereas delaying investment and transformation would represent a significant resilience and viability risk to Irish enterprises.
Under the Climate Action Plan 2023, my Department is developing a roadmap in 2023 to set out the key policy interventions to achieve the objectives set out for decarbonising heat use in manufacturing through energy efficiency and the displacement of fossil fuels. The roadmap will include a pathway to the electrification of low temperature heat, and the prioritisation of decarbonised gas for use in high temperature heating. The roadmap will develop actions for inclusion in the next Climate Action Plan and will address the three carbon budget periods up to 2035. The roadmap will also set out the technologies, state supports, standards, regulations and timelines that will help drive the necessary changes in heating systems, minimum equipment efficiencies and smart operational and monitoring strategies and technologies required to meet the targets.
These efforts are already underpinned by a number of Government supports for enterprise decarbonisation including the Green Transition Fund, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland’s Environment Aid schemes, and the Climate Toolkit for Business. I am actively encouraging our food sector to engage with Enterprise Ireland to discuss in detail the investments required to remove significant volumes of future emissions from their operations.
The Green Transition Fund was launched in June 2022. It is a €55m fund designed to specifically to address manufacturing combustion emissions from our industrial sector, to accelerate the uptake of carbon-neutral heating in manufacturing businesses. It provides manufacturing businesses the foundation they need to begin their transition to low carbon production processes and through investment in carbon abating capital equipment and technologies.
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland also offers a range of supports that can help businesses decarbonise their buildings and operations and make them more energy efficient. These supports range from tax incentives, vouchers, training, and grants. Full details on the range of SEAI supports available can be found at www.seai.ie. The Support Scheme for Renewable Heat in particular provides generous funding towards the use of electrical heat-pumps or biomass in manufacturing processes.
Ireland has committed to reducing emissions by 51% across all sectors of the economy by 2030 and to become net zero by 2050. These commitments are enshrined in law under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021. Accordingly, all sectors of the economy must remain within defined five-year Carbon Budgets which align with our climate ambitions outlined above. The Sectoral Emissions Ceiling prescribe how the Carbon Budgets are divided among different sectors of the economy. My Department has responsibility to reduce industry on-site emissions by 20% by 2025 and 35% by 2030. These are emissions associated with manufacturing and industrial processes.
The Climate Toolkit 4 Business is available online to help any Irish enterprise begin their transition to zero emissions. The simplified carbon calculator generates an estimated carbon footprint for the user and produces a plan of tailored actions recommended in response to the data provided. It is particularly useful for businesses that do not yet have a sophisticated understanding of their carbon emissions or the steps they should consider to reduce their emissions. The Toolkit will direct users to advice, grants and other resources available from the LEOs, EI, SEAI, Irish Water, EPA, IDA and others.
