Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for attending. I have several questions. Perhaps these are myths but these things need to be talked about. I have heard that in America, going back many years, companies would have modified corn. The farmer had to sew it under licence and if some of it was brought to the next field on the wind, the farmer was tied into having to pay a fee even though they might not be involved in it. I have read that but is it correct? On top of that, on the European green deal, unfortunately, they probably did not listen to the most important people in all of this, the farmers. In academia, they were doing this up but they will have to go back to the drawing board because we are now in a wartime era, although we had talked about having food nearly coming out of our ears, with all they were telling us.

There was talk of cuts and different things being done in Mayo, in the west, or in Donegal, and that there would be rewetting and that the sheep, cattle or whatever would be taken. They have got this very wrong and, in my opinion, Europe must become self-sufficient. I say that because of what have we tended to do in Europe, and I mention the Green Deal. We are becoming the sales people. If it is dirty, we get Brazil or some other country or continent to produce it. We will sell it on as long as it does not produce carbon emissions. It should be brought home to us now that heat and food are two of the most important things. We are stuck at the moment. We are like birds in the nest with our beaks open because we are waiting for oil and different things to arrive. We have left ourselves high and dry. Do the witnesses have a problem with that?

I listened with interest to Dr. Patrick Harrison. He talked about the different problems people have in health and that one can change a plant to perform better. Blockages were mentioned. Is the big blockage EU regulation? Reference was made to member states. Do member states make independent decisions or does everything hang on a European decision?