Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

What I am saying is that it is not possible to produce food without producing greenhouse gases. We need to make sure that everything we do is geared towards greater efficiency and sustainability. We cannot, and will not, give up our natural advantages in food production but we will do it as efficiently as possible. Many of the initiatives, therefore, that we have under way, for example in lower emission slurry spreading or using protected ureas and calcium ammonium nitrate are all steps that improve the efficiency. The BDGP improves the genetic efficiency of our herd while the EBI improves the genetic efficiency of our dairy herd. There are sequestration opportunities in terms of lower intensity management under GLAS, for example 260,000 ha of low-input permanent pasture or traditional hay meadows. These are all of the steps we are taking. This is not something that the Department has begun to embrace in recent days; it is something that has been under way for years and years. Sustainability is not a destination; it is a continuous journey and we are on it. On the issue of the tie-up scheme-----

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