Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief, as most of my comments have already been made. What is Professor FitzGerald's view of the dairy industry? He mentioned where he thought it would go and the most appropriate way it could develop over the next decade. It will probably be one of the key issues for the question of affordability. Consider what the commodity market is doing in terms of farming. Given production costs, the money realistically will be made in dairy. That is why there has been an influx of farmers, in particular younger ones, into dairy production from beef outlets. Could changes in dairy practices form a major part of the expansion? We use terms like "anaerobic digestion" and have policies to ensure a biogas network is built so that excess slurry and grass can be used to generate energy. Could a combination of anaerobic digestion and an expansion of the dairy herd allow rural Ireland to be profitable? There is a global drive for dairy products at the moment but no such global drive for beef products.

I do not mean to be rude about it, but forestry in certain parts of the country is considered to be on bad land. Is there a social responsibility on all farmers to give over a certain percentage of their holdings, big or small, dry or wet, to forestry? If so, how would that work?