Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives of the farming organisations. This is one of the most critical issues facing us. We talk about the CAP and Mercosur. It was really brought home to me when I was part of a delegation from the joint committee to Brussels in early December to discuss the new Common Agricultureal Policy and Mercosur when there was also talk about Brexit.

The delegation met the Agriculture Commissioner, Members of the European Parliament and some representatives of the farming organisations. I was struck by the fact that farming organisations had made only 7% of the submissions in the consultation process on one element of the Common Agricultural Policy. The majority of submissions had been made by what I would describe as the green lobby.

No one can dispute the points made by the delegates. Everything a farmer does to qualify for a payment is interwoven with environmental considerations, requirements, rules and laws. The message from the green lobby on the CAP is the same as the one we heard from the Citizens' Assembly, namely, that there is a problem with farming. The joint committee has debated this issue with officials from the Department who deal with climate change and representatives of Bord Bia. When I asked them whether they had been invited to make a submission to the Citizens' Assembly, I was told that they had not. The Citizens' Assembly was not given a fair picture. A number of the farming organisations issued statements in response to the proposal that a carbon tax be imposed on farming. It should be borne in mind that there are generations of people who are divorced from the countryside. That farmers must have their finger on the pulse is lost on them. Farmers have to understand the environment and their animals. They must also use technology and work in the most efficient way possible to try to make some money. Farmers in my local area tell me that their only income is the farm payment because they do not make anything from farming.

One of Ireland's selling points is its grassland which allows grazing for 300 days each year. That is not the case County Mayo, especially in the past year. As the delegates will be aware, the north and the north west are experiencing problems with fodder supplies.

Mr. McCormack referred to a shift in the way we accounted. This is a critical issue because we are told that the new Common Agriculture Policy will impose more environmental requirements on farmers and that this will generate costs. Urban dwellers need to understand farmers. Perhaps the organisations might need to improve their communications. We heard a former President state people should not eat meat. These messages grow legs. While I understand we all have the same ambition in respect of the Paris Agreement, a farmer who is doing his or her best may disengage if he or she hears a constant barrage of bad press about farmers and sees the finger of blame being pointed at farming. Farmers do a great deal of good work, as the delegates described, and this aspect of the debate should be pushed forward in the general media, as opposed to media that are focused on farming issues.

As has been pointed out, transport is a bigger offender than farming producing in carbon emissions. None of the members of the Citizens' Assembly volunteered to switch to an electric car, which people can do easily. Bearing in mind that these lobbies create their own momentum, I am concerned that farmers will not get a fair deal under the new CAP.

What is the expected uptake among farmers of the renewable heat support scheme? How have members of the farming organisations responded to the new scheme?

On forestry, one of the members of this committee repeatedly cites complaints from local people in County Leitrim about the masses of forestry being planted where people once lived. Obviously, these forests could not have been planted if people had not left the area. Rural depopulation is a problem. How can we add value to forestry and develop the biomass industry in the regions? In my local area, for example, Coillte exports the vast majority of its timber, which was loaded onto trains to Waterford. As a result, the local area does not derive any added value from local forestry. Spin-off jobs and investment could be created in the local economy. We must find a way to pull people together, create economies of scale and secure fair prices for farmers who become involved in forestry or growing biomass crops. What can the co-operative movement do in that regard?

Previous speakers referred to the White Paper on energy and micro-generation, which is a very good idea. Mr. Healy referred to getting involved in what he described as "big wind". There is nothing wrong with wind energy companies. The challenge is to produce community benefits from the money and technological know-how of the big companies. It does not matter what tariffs are available if local communities do not have the wherewithal and the money to become involved in renewable energy projects. These projects require people to take a gamble and are not necessarily a cash cow, although those who speculate on renewable energy projects tend to make money. Communities must be brought along and big wind and solar energy projects must be more integrated into communities.

Many of those who try to get involved in micro-generation experience great difficulty in obtaining import-export meters from the ESB. Have the organisations raised this matter with it? Apart from incentives and support for those who decide to install a small wind turbine or engage in other forms of micro-generation, this appears to be an issue that has not been addressed. Must micro-generated electricity be supplied to the grid?