Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. Great minds think alike in that Deputy Fitzmaurice has already covered many of the issues I had intended to raise to educate my own ignorance about the crop and its harvesting. Leaving aside the regulation, it appears we have a chicken-and-egg scenario here. Farmers will not grow unless there is a market and without the infrastructure and the processing capabilities there can be no market. That means we would have to bring in people. I think it is fair to say that.

Assuming we had the processing plants and the infrastructure, what would be the yield per acre in respect of hemp? As mentioned, hemp is a rotational crop. For the small farmer, would there be a good return for the crop once it left the farm gate? Such a farmer would not care where it went or the purpose for which it was processed. Would it be a viable proposition? Is a lot of acreage needed or could a farmer get a return from a small acreage?

Will the witnesses elaborate on the drain peat soil, whether it is the ideal soil for hemp or if it can be grown in uplands or other soils? In regard to hemp being a rotational crop, does it have to be rotated or could it be grown in one field or area continuously for four, five or six years?