Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his appointment and wish him the very best of luck in his role. I spent last year sitting beside him at meetings of the agricultural committee of the last Oireachtas and I know he has deep knowledge of the industry.

I note the comments by the Minister in the media in recent weeks regarding the appointment of a food ombudsman and his expectation that such an office will play a major role in the future development of the industry. Will he elaborate on his views in this regard and indicate what legislation might be required? Does he believe that we should go further and look to what is being proposed by the EU in this regard? The industry will need an ombudsman with teeth, similar to what we have in the area of data protection. We need a regulator with the potential to hold people in the sector properly to account. Appropriate legislation is required to ensure that happens. I am interested in the Minister's thoughts and views in this regard.

In regard to Covid-19 testing, there is a need for accountability in respect of communities being informed about where positive tests are happening. Unfortunately, I have seen in my own part of the world that rumours and counter-rumours often arise and people are living in fear because there is no clarity given as to where the positive cases are being found. I have spoken to Meat Industry Ireland about this issue. Might we have a scenario where that organisation could step up to the mark and inform the public and communities where the positive tests are happening? I would appreciate the Minister's views on this matter.

Regarding Brexit, the implications of decisions that are made in the next 12 weeks will be very serious for the agricultural community in this country. I have concerns about the European free trade agreement as it relates to the use of products from other jurisdictions in Irish produce. I am interested in particular in Irish dairy and whiskey products. An all-Ireland agreement will be required to ensure we get the derogation that is needed to the food supply chain requirements under the Paris Agreement. We have product coming from Northern Ireland that is going into product that is manufactured here. How that can be regulated in the context of a post-Brexit agreement and what can be done at this late stage to ensure that Irish products which include components from Northern Ireland manufacturers do not face the imposition of tariffs? If the Minister is not in a position to respond today, he might provide me with a note on it at a later date.

The legislation on climate change and climate action that was discussed at Cabinet today is very significant. I worked on the climate action committee of the last Oireachtas for four years. Agriculture has a major role to play in reaching our climate targets. Does the Minister have any concerns regarding the forthcoming legislation? What is his view on how the agriculture industry can play its role in reducing our carbon footprint into the future? It will have a major impact on how we sell our product. It could take ten years to evolve our traceability system. If one does not have traceability, one is not in the game. It is all about how efficient the sector can be in reducing carbon output. Will the Minister give his views on how we can work to ensure we reach our commitments in this area, which will have a major impact on our markets in the future?

My last point concerns calf exports, which was referred to by a previous speaker. This is a very important issue, especially in my part of the world. We are looking at increased numbers for exports of Friesian bull calves, in particular, next February, March and April. It is very important for the market that we get these animals off the island in a safe and proper manner. There is some confusion as to whether the regulations are changing in respect of the number of hours for which an animal can be in transit, whether feeding will be required and if other expenses will arise. Will the Minister get back to me on this in his own time, indicating how a suitable solution might be brought forward? We need to see the Friesian bull calves, in particular, being moved off the island as soon as we can. Any delay in that regard would have a major impact on the entire market.