Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Following on from what Deputy Bruton said, to have this debate framed as rural versus urban is not only divisive but also unfair to people in rural communities. It paints them as not understanding the science and what is happening in our communities. Those people see and know exactly what is happening first-hand. Anyone over 40 or 50 years old in a rural community will remember when the ecosystem was in much better balance and, for example, bird species such as lapwing and curlew were much more common. Those people will be very familiar with fruits and berries having been much more plentiful in hedgerows in years past and they will know exactly what changes have occurred and the pressures that have been put on the land in recent years.

It is unfair to place the issue in this very divisive framing and also not to provide leadership in this area. As politicians, we should be providing leadership in this regard. We should be working with our communities to ensure they are better placed to address these pressures, because they are coming and, indeed, are already here with us. Each of us has a responsibility to provide the requisite leadership and undertake that role. This is not a choice; it is something we must do. We must ensure that people in rural and urban settings are prepared to deal with these issues.