Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses from the Department and Teagasc and thank them for the submissions. I have a couple of questions specifically for the individual groups and then I would welcome comments from all.

First, I have a question for the Department. While the recent announcement of the horticulture support scheme is to be welcomed, I would like to know why the white mushroom production sector and the vast majority of those growing strawberries are not included in the scheme. That is something that has come up in our previous deliberations on this subject.

I would also like to hear from the Department about the role it may play with the other relevant Departments when it comes to the issue of a seasonal work permit. That has come up previously. This is our second session and we have our fourth group of witnesses. The unavailability of seasonal labour and the lack of access to work visas and permits for people outside the EU have been cited. One particular group we asked said it was the one thing they would change if they had a magic wand. I know the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine does not issue work permits but it must have a role to play because this sector that is suffering as a result of it falls under the Department's remit. I would welcome comments on that.

I have a couple of specific questions for Teagasc. We had some Teagasc representatives before the committee previously with regard to gene editing, in particular CRISPR. I am not talking about GMOs here. What role has that to play? I know the conversation on it has opened up in Europe in the past year to 18 months. Has Teagasc been doing any research on it? Does it have a role in that regard? Do the witnesses think it could help to improve the horticulture sector, which we are specifically talking about today?

I am no different to anyone else who came from a farming background. When I was young it was all mixed farming, as such. We grew vegetables, not commercially, but we sold them, and we reared beef and sheep and did a bit of tillage. While I am not suggesting in any way that we might regress to that model of the mixed farm, is there any potential for casual vegetable growing, even for crop rotation for people doing tillage? Is there any way we could incentivise somebody to get into growing whatever we identify as a shortfall in the market as a year's filling crop between grass and reseeding? We were told earlier that we are down to 100 horticulturists who are specialist fruit and vegetable growers in the country.

My final question is for both the Department and Teagasc. While the plan is to see a 30% increase in production, how do they see that happening? Land availability was mentioned as being an issue. We have mentioned labour and the margins. If there is not a margin there for people, nobody is going to do it or we are certainly not going to get new people into the market. How can existing growers expand by 30% if there are not major incentives and increases in margins?

I know the price is not the responsibility of Teagasc or the Department. They cannot sell it. They help people to grow it and provide the infrastructure.

It is grand to have plans for a 30% expansion, but they must be realistic. How do Teagasc and the Department see us achieving that target? This is in conjunction with my idea about bringing some people in who do not have to commit to being horticulturists forever or to being 100% in horticulture. Is there any opportunity for casual horticulture? My father took out a contract one year because Erin Foods was on the go at the time and it needed people to grow Brussels sprouts. It was a one-year contract, we grew Brussels sprouts for ten years and we never grew Brussels sprouts before or afterwards. Is there some way we can get schemes like that going again?