Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)

As the witnesses rightly pointed out, we have seen a decline in the national herd. We are back at record levels, since we joined the EU in 1973. At this moment, we are at 6.9 million head. That is due to a decline in the farming industry, which has reduced our carbon emissions through stealth, as I call it. While we have done low-emission slurry spreading and seen the scientific facts at the National Ploughing Championships last week regarding feed, fertilisers and one thing or another, the only way farmers are going to buy into this, as the witnesses and Senator Noonan said, is to have a properly funded, long-term scheme. Unless we have it, this will never be solved. We are never going to meet our targets. It is hard, as a farmer, and I am one. We see Brazil looking to increase its herd by 3 million cattle. America, in the same sector, is trying to increase its herd by 8 million cattle, yet we are trying to tell farmers in this country that we need to reduce our herds. With Mercosur, we have to compete in the same markets as Brazilian beef, which does not have the same traceability or scientific evidence behind it, and the use of hormones is legal in that country.

It is difficult, when representing farmers, to entice farmers to buy into all the schemes here. We talked about it all in Europe last weekend and about simplification, but there is less simplification and things are getting more complicated. We can talk out of both sides of our mouth here, but unless we sit down with the farming organisations andthe Department of agriculture and come up with a proper scheme that our farmers, especially our young farmers, will buy into regarding water quality, sustainable futures and energy supplies, which has to be included to support farmers, we can talk about all of this for the next 30 years and we will not have achieved our targets. That is where we are. I thank the witnesses for their time.