Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Macra na Feirme representatives and compliment them on their very lengthy and well put together presentation.

Food waste will probably be one of the most significant issues we will deal with as a nation in future. In many ways, we have not grasped that nettle yet. How we will deal with it will be a huge issue over the next decade. There will be targets that will probably be put in front of us in 2030 that will be very significant. Whether we reach them will depend on moves we make in the next few weeks, months and years. One of the figures I came across recently was that 8% to 10% of Ireland's greenhouse gases come directly from food waste, which is a frightening figure. If we ever manage to deal with the food waste issue, we can deal with the environmental issues pertaining to it.

As a youth organisation, Macra na Feirme is very important in this game in how it can influence people. The word "influence" is very important. Even though we have had academics before the committee, and others representing organisations and the industry, Macra na Feirme's appearance is very much welcome.

How can we use influencers like the witnesses to make sure we can change our attitudes towards food and food waste? Some 221,000 tonnes of food waste was dumped in Ireland in 2021, which is a significant figure. How we deal with restaurant and food outlets is also a huge issue. Even in their presentation, the witnesses mentioned the percentages of fresh fruit, bread and meat, giving a good indication. How can Macra na Feirmelead this campaign and become a major driver in it as a youth organisation that has influence over many people? This has to be a campaign from the bottom up. It involves Macra na Feirme to be a leading light and driving it forward. How does the president believe they can drive this issue forward? She also might comment on whether she believes there is a value on food. At the moment, one could argue about whether there is a value on food when food prices are so low. Given the low prices of food on the shelves of supermarket chains, there might not be a value on it in terms of making sure people do not dump it. That is a significant issue the president might comment on as well.