Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I must say that I am incredibly disappointed by the Minister of State's response. On the one hand, he is saying this is not needed, and on the other hand he is saying it would have such an impact that it could disrupt the work of the advisory council. This is a fundamental weapon, for want of a better term, that we have at our disposal to show that this House is serious about the concerns that have been raised within rural communities and the agriculture sector, in particular. It sets out that no recommendation will be made whereby the domestic reduction or the cessation of a food production activity, for which there is no other more sustainable domestic alternative, will result in a net increase in global emissions as a result of increased importation to the EU. This allays the very concerns that we have been hearing from people who believe this Bill is about tokenism or that there is a hypocritical element at the core of the measures that have been introduced. It puts to rest all of those concerns. It would be a fundamental part of the work we need to do and of addressing the core aspect to ensure our farming community is not seen as the enemy, but rather as a partner that can play an important role in addressing climate action.

I must say it is a crucial area for me, as agricultural spokesperson for my party, and for my party colleagues in the sense that we want to show that we can be serious about climate action without reverting to tokenistic or meaningless actions. The way to do that has been set out in amendment No.194. Again, I ask the Minister of State to reconsider his position.