Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister confirmed to Deputy Carthy that he will give the sector his full support. It is very important because farmers are totally frustrated. Many farmers who were planning on planting forestry have changed their mind because they see what is happening within the Department. They are very frustrated. It is going to take a huge amount of work in the coming months to turn this whole thing around and to encourage farmers to plant forestry again.

With regard to the farmer organisations, like every other Deputy in the House, certainly rural Deputies, I have met with the IFA, the ICMSA, the ICSA and the different farming organisations in various counties in recent weeks. They have huge concerns over climate change. On the specific issue of the climate change targets the Minister is going to be setting, the farm organisations want to work with him and his Department to achieve them. Has the Minister sat down with the presidents of, say, the IFA or Macra na Feirme and their officials to try to flesh out what can be done on the climate change targets? I believe it is only by working with and talking to these farm organisations, with everybody singing off the same hymn sheet, that we can get everybody working in unity together. I encourage the Minister to sit down with the farm organisations to see where we are all coming from and ensure we are all singing off the same hymn sheet. There are huge concerns out there. If the Minister is meeting the leaders of these farm organisations, he is keeping their members happy and content that, at least, he is sitting down with them and that he wants to work with them as they want to work with him.