Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Commissioner and his team and I thank him for paying us the compliment of visiting us and explaining his position to us. He emphasised the importance of being green. In my part of the country one needs to be careful when using that word because for some people being green means to be naive and inexperienced. We could not say that about Deputy Flanagan, for example, and I am sure the Commissioner would not say it about the Irish.

Could Mr. Potocnik explain his role as Commissioner in the special areas of conservation, SACs, as opposed to national heritage areas, NHAs? What is the extent of the Irish Government's powers over them compared with that of the Commission, particularly in designation?

Could the Commissioner expand on his point about the advent of 2020 and the importance of food in the coming decades? He said the population increase from 7 to 9 billion and the increase of 3 billion in the number of consumers was an opportunity for Ireland. This is welcome. Previous EU policies were designed to curtail and limit agricultural production in Ireland. If we align this with climate change, would the Commissioner accept that it is important for Irish farmers that new climate change regulations do not adversely affect production in this country? There must be a breaking point where we decide which is the most important, the production of food or the climate. Most, if not all, farmers are aware of the environment and the effect of climate change and have carried out significant work over the years. Many of the directives issued by the Commissioner's office have been implemented in Ireland. To what extent can more of them be implemented without adversely affecting production? This is of serious concern. I would like to hear assurances from the Commissioner that the changes that are about to be implemented, and which we will debate in the coming months, will not adversely affect agriculture, that the hugely important role of Irish food, which is probably the most naturally produced food in the world, will not be affected, and that we will have an opportunity to expand our production in those areas.

It is ironic that we speak about water and quality of water in Ireland when we are surrounded by the sea, have numerous lakes and probably have an over-abundance of water. Nevertheless, we have a huge problem with the security of water supply, particularly to Dublin, our capital city.

I am sure the Commissioner is aware of the proposal for extracting water from the River Shannon - the part of the river which is in my area of County Tipperary. I extend an invitation to the Commissioner to visit at any time. I do not think he will have lived or have seen Ireland if he does not visit Tipperary. I ask for assurances that Lough Derg and its environs will not be plundered for the extraction of water. I am particularly concerned about the Commissioner's role with regard to climate change and agriculture. Some scientists say the climate argument is overstated, that climate operates in a cyclical pattern and that irrespective of what we do, these problems will arise cyclically. I hope to expand on some of those points later in the discussion, depending on the Commissioner's response. I thank him for his attendance and I wish him continued success.