Mr. Pat McCormack:

It is a very good question and very relevant. I read in the last week or ten days the United Nations estimate that if we are to eradicate world hunger by 2030, agricultural production or produce needs to increase by 28%. That is a significant ask even without the curfew or the potential for reduction through organics and various other groups. It was heartening to read today that the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, in acknowledging 60 years of CAP, has said that the funding post 2027 needs to be increased because it is nowhere near adequate with 0.4% of GDP being spent on food security. When it is 0.4%, that is an indication of the lack of value or investment in what is a primary source needed to exist as a human being. There are many threats out there. Mr. Rushe spoke about age and any industry that has an average age of 57 or 58 is under threat as we move forward. That is not just an issue in Ireland; it is a common issue around Europe. Our policymakers and legislators need to ask the question, why? I will not answer that question today unless they want an answer but it certainly is a question that needs to be asked.

Cow banding has huge potential. We have seen the dairy industry in the Netherlands in particular come under huge pressure and be restricted. Cow banding here has the potential to reduce dairy farmers' output by up to 26% and that is huge as we move forward. To answer the question I will put a comment on the record in the House. We will be back in this decade but how soon will depend on the volume of funding that is put in place to support groups like the dairy vision group and the beef and lamb group because there is an opportunity to minimise the reduction but it will require significant investment in clover and multi-species swards etc. in the short to medium term. Food security is not going to be a long-term issue. We can see from the United Nations activities it is here today and will be more relevant tomorrow and the day after. Somebody will be back here representing ICMSA within this decade to talk about the real issue of food security.