Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We hope to deliver the Bill to which the Deputy referred in the first quarter of next year. We will strive to be as effective as possible in order to deliver that.

We have sought to reflect the recommendations of the committee. There is a commitment in the area of rural transport. Of course, this is only a starting point and we will evolve the strategy over time. This is the start, not the end.

On the Teagasc changes, it has been very made clear that under the next Common Agricultural Policy, 40% of the money will be linked to identifiable environmental and climate improvements that are adopted by the sector. There will be an incentive connection between making changes and drawing down CAP supports. That is one of the reasons we can expect change. In addition, farmers understand as well as, if not better than, other sectors the need to change and that if we want to pass on our planet in a better condition to our children and the next generations, we must manage it well now. Farmers are closer to understanding that. They see the relevance of and reason for the changes we are asking them to make.

Like every other part of the community, part of this, as we discussed, is people recognising and buying into this being a high priority for our communities. Farmers are probably in a better place to understand that than most people.