Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Senator Conway-Walsh spoke about the process for the CAP strategic plan. What is the timeline for the public to make an input to the consultation? The officials said they meet some people but what about others? As Deputy Ó Cuív said, we need a monumental shift in how we do things. Food Wise 2025 envisages a 60% increase in agricultural production. We will have a 30% increase in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of our agricultural production. How can we square the circle? The existing policy is all about increasing production. I cannot see how that will decrease our greenhouse gas emissions. We now have an incredible opportunity in the drafting of the CAP strategic plan to look at our climate-change commitments and how we do things. It is critical for the Department to engage with a wide array of stakeholders. There should be a timeframe so that the public or stakeholder groupings can have an input at this stage.

The contributions from the floor have outlined the difficulties people have in applying for the LEADER programme. The bureaucracy has put many people off seeking funding. Has an audit of the projects funded to date been carried out? A witness mentioned some process with Indecon. Is anybody looking at the projects that have had funding from a climate perspective? How efficient have the projects that have been funded been? Have they enabled us as a nation to offset carbon emissions in a positive way? Have any climate-change criteria been set? Have any assessments been carried out on former projects as to how they have or have not helped with climate change? We need to ensure that some climate and greenhouse gas emissions criteria are built into future LEADER projects.