Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice. I appreciate his comments on CAP.

On making sure we get veterinary prescribing right, there is a difficult challenge but it is one that we have to get right. We must ensure there is common sense. We cannot continue to have circumstances in which everybody is the leading expert on medicines and anthelmintics in his or her own world because the matter is not as straightforward as that. We need to ensure the most appropriate research, science and advice are part of the equation. We have had genuine and unsustainable challenges owing to growing resistance. We will all be left in a very bad place in a number of years if we are not responsible in the attitude we take to this. It is about trying to put in place a system that is robust in avoiding resistance and that works practically for farmers in respect of cost and on-farm implementation. That is the balance we are trying to get right. There have been many meetings and much engagement on it. We hope to bring the matter to a conclusion soon in preparation for the changeover next year.

On organics, we have significant ambition under the next CAP. There is a big step up. We will be considering the schemes that are in place to ensure they support that.

I take the point on hill lamb, in particular. We will reflect in advance of the next Cabinet meeting on those schemes coming into play.