Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I think Deputy Healy-Rae's point was that farmers who do things that protect the environment and that save carbon and who are involved in forestry, protecting hedgerows, need to get credit for that. He is absolutely right. This whole thing has to be about protecting farmers' incomes in order that we can bring farmers with us and that they have a role in this. I was really heartened by the comments of the IFA recently when it said it is committed to making this work. Yes, farmers have to get credit and we have to develop the mechanisms for them to get the credit over the coming years. It is the job of the Dáil, the Oireachtas and the Government to do that, so I absolutely agree with Deputy Healy-Rae.