Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael)
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I am sure Ms McCarthy noted in November that the Citizens' Assembly delivered a damning indictment of Irish agriculture. I think 89% called for a tax on greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. Was Bord Bia invited to present at the Citizens' Assembly? What is its view in relation to that particular proposition and, to me, the very negative view put on the efforts being made by farmers to address greenhouse gas emissions?

The other issue then is on the Origin Green side. I understand that 60% of the feedstuffs fed to dairy cows, beef cattle, pigs and sheep is imported. That is increasing year-on-year. How confident is Bord Bia that this will not affect our food standards?

How can we stand over the quality of the foods we are bringing in when we are promoting our own for export? We are promoting foods of a certain standard in the context of sustainability, etc. Of particular concern is the fact that, in respect of the 9 million tonnes of feed consumed, most of the 6 million tonnes imported is made from genetically modified soya and maize. Is that correct? If that is the case, surely we need an increase in output from the tillage sector to counter this trend. I understand that already in the German market there are demands that no food, including cheese, butter and beef, be tainted by genetically modified feed. The food chain is already being examined there. I would welcome Ms McCarthy's observations on the matter.

How does Ms McCarthy foresee the tillage sector growing in the future? Representatives of the sector outlined the challenges and the committee drew up a report. The sector is making a very positive contribution in the use of the environment as a carbon sink. I would appreciate Ms McCarthy's response on the matter.