Mr. Pat McCormack:

The Senator made a lot of interesting points. The reduction from 250 kg to 220 kg of nitrogen per hectare will have a significant impact. Farmers will either have to destock or shorten their grazing season somehow, which would be hugely frustrating. We are renowned as the best in the world for growing grass and the length of our grazing season has a significant part to play in the promotion of our products as we move forward. The figures for organic nitrogen were published yesterday, which is far too late in the year. They should be issued at least on a quarterly, if not monthly, basis to give farmers an indication of where they are.

The Senator mentioned stainless steel. There is a huge fear that we will have unutilised or under-utilised stainless steel. That will create inefficiencies at processor level and will undermine our competitiveness on export markets. The growth in exports from the agricultural sector had a significant part to play in the past decade, in particular, in bringing this country out of recession. There were opportunities for expansion in the dairy sector with the abolition of quotas and that drove a huge stimulus in the rural economy from a construction and service-provider perspective. There was huge demand among young people to study agricultural courses. While in 2022-23 those agricultural courses will be filled, the same level of demand was not evident, and that has to be a concern and an indication of where we are going.

The Senator asked about the Department and the level of interaction. We have never made a secret of the fact that we were not happy with the level of interaction and consultation on the nitrates regulations. Key personnel changes were made in the Department at a critical time in the context of fighting this country's cause. Experienced heads and people who had been around the block and who had been out interacting with farmers and farm organisations were moved from the nitrates area at a critical time. If I was in management, that is not a move I would have made. Perhaps my colleagues would like to comment further.