Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for their work on the comprehensive document and report, which is very well articulated. To continue in a similar vein, it is now about taking the great work of the assembly and putting it into a complicated and messy political system that pulls in a pile of different directions. I have said before that we could raise questions about the representativeness of this group. We could reasonably suggest that a number of Members would take a different approach to the witnesses and to the process of citizens' assemblies and the notion of deliberative democracy. We should take none of that for granted. However, for those of us who want to see strong ambition and progress, the question is how we move this on. We have touched on some of those issues. It is like "Father Ted" and asking if there is anything to be said for another mass. Is there anything to be said for a citizens' assembly on the future of Irish farming or a vision for Irish agriculture?

We have some experience of trying to create forums or spaces for dialogues between different stakeholders and they have not always been positive. There are examples where there was no agreement and where one sector walked away in the end for legitimate reasons. We need to look at how we create the space for reasoned and sensible conversations in this regard.

I would welcome the delegates' thoughts on that. There is obviously power at play. We can do the education piece but there are powerful interests at play that will not be addressed through education. Some of what I hear is honestly a risk and concern. I believe Mr. Joyce mentioned what the future holds, future viability and future income. Dr. Ní Shúilleabháin talked about speaking to the head, the heart and the pocket. My sense is that, in many cases, we do not do that. Take the current nitrates directive conversation, for example. The proposal in this regard represents a cliff edge for certain cohorts. Is there a case to be made for the State de-risking this transition? What do the delegates' believe a safety net might look like? We know the end point and that a new model of the economy, agriculture, transport and industry must be attuned to the climate and be biodiversity friendly, but the pathway is really where the question is at. The risk is that if we cannot address that, we will not get where we want and fall midstream. Have the delegates some ideas on the deliberative spaces or safe spaces for real conversations and on de-risking the transition for all involved?