Ms Nadaline Webster:

To speak to that, from a strategic point of view, I want to lay out very clearly in layman's terms what is being offered to farmers at the moment. We have initial estimates included in our opening statement that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, says are plus or minus anywhere between 20% and 50%. Our current statement on emissions may well be 50% out. It may be 50% above that. Our research from VistaMilk SFI suggests that methane from dairy cows was overestimated by 18%. When we bring in reductions in methane, to which target are we expected to apply them? Should it be the target that was set in 2018 that may or may not be accurate or a new target that is going to be reassessed now? The same uncertainty factors apply to ongoing estimates of what we are producing. There is a tier 1, 2 and 3 system provided by the IPCC to measure methane emissions. Then we have sectoral divisions which set all of the removals in an industry separate from agriculture and all of the emissions in agriculture. That is contributed in no small part to the reputational crisis the industry is in.

To put it in businesslike terms, I ask members to imagine if a company asked to hire me to make a 30% reduction in its expenditure and an unspecified increase in revenue. I ask what the current expenditure is and the company says it is €22 million. I would say "Wow, that is big" and ask to see the accounts. The company says "No" and that the figure is an estimate. It has some figures but they show what companies like this one emit. It says the figure could be out by between 20% and 50%. I ask how it will measure the reductions I make and the company says it will apply the same estimates. What credit will I get for increasing revenue? Will that be offset against any issues we experience in reductions in expenditure? The company tells me I will be doing it but the increase is actually going to be credited to a different department. I ask if there are penalties for failure to meet these targets. The company says there probably are but it cannot tell me what they are. I ask for a detailed strategy document that makes recommendations for actions and projects likely outcomes from the decisions we make. The company says it does not have one. Am I going to sign that contract?

The Government needs to understand that is what it is asking from farmers right now. There are massive uncertainties. We are here having a conversation on a scientific basis, which I do my best to keep up with, but I think we can all admit that on a national basis, we do not necessarily understand the fine detail of the science; we understand the broad strokes. The agricultural sector is different from other sectors in the sense that what we are applying is a lot more complex. The science in respect of it is still evolving. The measurements are still evolving. I have yet to see a comprehensive roadmap towards how we are going to make this happen without the rural economy falling apart. That is really difficult. From a business perspective, I would say we do not have the tools we need to successfully complete this project. We are making decisions right now on foot of acknowledged incorrect data. If any company came to me with that proposal, I would say I am really sorry but I cannot help.