Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will not save agriculture or any other industry by having targets. It is not about targets but about checkpoints, measurements and refinements to plans. I see the proposals as safeguarding agriculture and every essential industry we have because we will need refinements and periodic checks. We cannot wait until the end of a five year period or 2020 before somebody hits us with a stick because we have not reached an overall target. That is crucial to the entire debate. We need to shine a light on the issue because without good information, how can we make the proper decisions?

How can we encourage the proper refinements without good information on a sector by sector basis? Are we saying we will have the information but will not publish it? Either we have the information on a sector by sector basis, the checkpoints that will allow us to measure what we are and are not achieving, or we do not. This gets to the heart of the issue. Without that information, we will not be able to protect our most precious industries and businesses, including agriculture.