Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I realise I am the last contributor so I will try to be as brief as possible. Many of the issues have been covered.

I will begin on agricultural issues. There has been discussion of forestry and its potential impact, in particular on rural communities in certain parts of the country. The Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Pat Deering, stated that if every farmer was to plant 50 or 80 trees on his or her land it would be a very significant contribution. A solution such as that would spread the load far more effectively than whole communities being affected by significant afforestation in their areas. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed, mentioned that possibility in an article published in the Irish Examinerin August. It is one of the things we should be progressing and looking at as a possible solution to the issue of forestry.

Ms Buckley mentioned the issue of digesters, which is of particular importance in light of the growth of the dairy herd and the current issues with excess manure. How that organic waste is used is a key issue that must be considered and incentivised. International models and smart farming must be taken into account. Wind and solar energy contribute to the operation of milk processing plants on dairy farms in countries such as Italy and Germany. We must utilise a combination of energy generation from solar, wind and anaerobic digestion. If the digestion model is to work in Ireland, in particular in regard to the dairy herd, crops must play a significant role as they provide the ability to finance it and to tie farmers together in the project.

We need to think outside the box on the issue of organic farming, which would be of benefit to the current water shortage issues. I am sure Ms Buckley will inform the committee of the position regarding water quality and supply. We are probably at a tipping point in many ways. A significant organic farming programme would help in many respects and should be one of the issues which the council is considering and driving forward.

On communication, one of the questions that many farmers have is how the global population increase of approximately 2 billion between now and 2050 will be catered for if the amount of land used to produce food is to be reduced. That is a significant issue. Ireland currently has a largely GM-free policy of which we are quite proud. Such crops are not grown here to the level that they are in certain other countries. Is it now proposed that GM products will form part of the solution to the world food issue?

It is an issue about which many people have a view. If one reduces the quantity of land used to produce the food, then one needs also look at the GM issue, which brings its own questions. This will present a conflict for many farmers.

With regard to the decarbonisation proposal, if Ireland had a large carbon tax, do the witnesses believe there is a possibility of nuclear power becoming part of the solution? Is nuclear power a solution to the issue, if the carbon tax was a part of that? How would it fit into the cycle itself? Perhaps the Professor FitzGerald could comment on that.

On the electric car, during the summer I drove from Cork to Dublin in an electric car. There was one charging point midway in Portlaoise where we stopped, and we made it quite comfortably. It worked out very well. The technology is there and the incentives are quite large with €5,000 off vehicle registration tax and with low motor tax rates. The issue, however, is with the infrastructure itself. If the infrastructure was there tomorrow morning, the uptake of electric cars would be significant. Already, the uptake from one year to the next is more than 250%. I am aware this is based on small numbers, but that is the actual percentage. This will be a key issue for the main provider, the ESB Networks, which provides the 1,000 charging points currently. That is the delivery mechanism we need in order to get more electric cars. We have the incentives, and people know they are there. People want the technology. I know people are very interested in the technology. The battery life power is there to make the journeys but without the infrastructure one would be looking around for a charging point or waiting for it to happen. Infrastructure is the area in which debate needs to happen.

I will move on to my last point as the Chairman is looking at me.