Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept that. Some of the points I am making are on how to drive efficiency by using things such as genetic merit, grassland technology and reducing costs. They will all help. The market, however, is the market. There is not much I can do about that. What I can do is encourage farmers to avail of the range of initiatives in which the Department is involved. The Deputy makes an interesting point about new enterprises. One of the areas where there are opportunities is organic farming. There is market demand for certified organic produce and we have reopened the organic scheme, albeit with modest funding. There are major opportunities in the organic sphere in the dairy and tillage areas, although not exclusively in those areas. For example, we import organic oats.

We are approaching a stage where a successor to the Food Wise 2025 document will be needed. That will need to examine the challenges that lie ahead. Such challenges include climate change so how to draft a vision for the industry for the next decade is a challenge we will consider in the very near future. New opportunities must be part of that consideration as well.