Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Forestry is an area where we feel there is potential. We have announced a new forestry programme in the past few months. It is to significantly change the incentives for farmers to take that up. We hope we will see progress on that.

One of the other key diversification opportunities is AD, the strategy for which will be published this quarter. We want to see that lead to more AD development. We know from looking at other countries and, indeed, Northern Ireland, that we have a lot of ground to make up in that space. That is something we want to push on. That strategy will then enable the EPA to assess the likely progress around that. It is also a matter of looking to see how we can improve tillage. I want to see that. We import about two thirds of our cereal requirements for both animal feed and human food, yet we have among the best conditions for growing grain in the world. We have among the highest-yielding climates as well in terms of food production systems, so it makes a lot of sense that we look to step that forward. I have had a tillage group working over the past few months. I expect its report very shortly in terms of measures we can take. It is to be hoped that will be considered next year in terms of the inventory.