Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives from Devenish. I had the pleasure of visiting the farm and I compliment them on the great work they are doing. Mr. Kennedy almost answered my first question. I must phrase this properly and I ask that the witnesses do not get me wrong. What Devenish is doing up there, with the backing of a multinational or as part of a multinational, is being done in somewhat laboratory conditions, for want of a better phrase. The representatives spoke of the other people and their customers who are integrating the same system. Has Devenish seen much in the performance or the results from the standard average family working farm as opposed to the places where Devenish would have done more research? Whereas the farmer was using the system to farm to make a profit, Devenish was using it as part of research. Please do not get me wrong, but has Devenish noticed much difference in the productivity or the outcome from the day to day? How many people following the system are in a real working situation as opposed to the research model?

Devenish is a multinational and is all over the world. I presume it is doing similar types of work, depending on the climate, the soil and the geographical constraints of different countries around the world. How does Ireland compare with what is happening elsewhere when it comes to all of this research?

The Department, Teagasc, and the representatives from Devenish have been in to the committee today. The answer to nearly every question is "We are working on it or we researching that at the moment". In simple terms, when are we going to start getting results of all the research everybody is doing that can be implemented into policy, to give us definitive readings on output and sequestration from a farming model so we can try to get a net-zero emissions? Teagasc is doing its signpost programme farms. At one stage we were told that some of the readings in soils are more than twice that predicted by the model they had based it on. When are we going to get to definitive figures, models or crossbars, for want of a better word, that we can all work towards? I understand that research will always be ongoing to develop things, but we seem to be researching a lot and there are a lot of conflicting answers and results coming out of the research. When we get to a place where we can have a model to use in trying to get to net-zero emissions, and which will be acceptable by scientists who might not be as pro-agriculture as we all might be?