Mr. Jer Bergin:

Yes. I will finish now, Chairman. As regards this committee's deliberations, I would ask members to take on board a couple of key points, which we may develop in the subsequent discussion. Agriculture is different. The opportunity for Ireland is as a sustainable producer of food with the lowest emissions per unit of output. That is our competitive, economic and environmental advantage. Any other process in this direction will lead directly to carbon leakage. That opportunity must be driven by a pragmatic approach that is economically and environmentally sound, not driven by ideological or political concerns.

One must look at policy development across the world. Mr. Alexander Maybach, a key policy adviser in the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, visited Ireland earlier this year. He made it very clear that the maintenance of agricultural food production, and the preservation of food security, has to be at the heart of any environmental or international agreement. As part of that, he said that we must promote more efficient and resilient food systems. Ireland fits that category. Agricultural production in temperate climates should be encouraged as part of a solution to this problem.