Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Ms Lenehan and Mr. Healy on their appointments and wish them the very best in their new roles. It goes without saying that a lot of farmers will be putting their faith in this new regulatory office and hoping it will be positive for them. A lot of this was born out of the factory protests and has centred on beef in particular but it is important to mention that this committee has done some work in relation to the horticulture sector too. Representatives of that sector were in here and we had conversations around carrots being sold for 60 cent and so on. This is a sector that we should, as a country, be looking to grow. We really should be standing on our own two feet a lot more when it comes to growing food. Between 30 and 50 years ago, people grew gardens, ate from them and were self-sufficient. It is important to mention horticulture here this evening because those in the sector are very hard working and deserve a fair price for their produce. The same is true for beef, obviously, but sometimes horticulture and other areas can be further down the line.

I ask our guests, as they take up their new positions, to share their hopes for the office and what it will mean for farmers on the ground, given all that it has taken to get us to this point.