Mr. Shane Fitzgerald:

Soil liming, like multispecies swards, is positive. Anything that helps soil health will be positive. There is a big issue with producing chemical nitrogen and that will be the key with all of this. If nitrogen has to be reduced on farms and it is done in an efficient way, everything will be okay. It will save farmers money and the environment will benefit as well. The problem is that if farmers reduce nitrogen too fast and do not have the appropriate tools in place to mitigate that, it could lead to a higher carbon footprint with more damage to the environment. By having a reduced feed on the farm, the farmer will not be as self-sufficient and will end up having to buy in more fodder and having more imported feed, which will have a knock-on effect on the financial side of things for the farmer. The likes of soil sampling and multispecies swards are positive, although there are question marks, as Mr. Keane outlined, over the persistence of multispecies. Soil sampling can be chosen only once every three years. We are big advocates for it and the majority of young farmers soil-sample every year, as do farmers in derogation. That is something we asked for at the start. The same is true of liming. Anything that will improve soil health has to be prioritised. We will be happy with anything that includes those measures.