To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land which concludes that unsustainable land management is a direct cause of land degradation, with agriculture being a dominant sector driving degradation.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land is at a global level, though the need for all Countries to play their part is vital.

In March, I announced 54 decisions which define future agricultural policy. These policy decisions will be followed as soon as possible with new policies and systems to ensure that we will have a future sustainable agricultural industry.

Within my policy decisions I committed that my Department will also undertake the development of a future land use policy during the next mandate.

In 2020, I launched the Forests For Our Future programme, with the ambition to plant 18 million trees and create 9,000 hectares of new woodland to help our environment and economy.

I also launched the four year £45m Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS) in April this year with the aim of improving soil health and baselining soil carbon stocks across Northern Ireland.

Earlier this year, I was pleased to host the UK Agriculture Partnership (UKAP) in Northern Ireland, which brought together leading experts, including researchers, government officials, farming organisations and NGOs from across the UK to discuss the challenges and issues faced with regards to soil health in agriculture.

My Officials have also commissioned a number of research studies to determine how we can continue to improve soil health and sequester additional carbon in our soils in future.