Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Mr. Rushe does a bit of dairy farming. There is pressure on land at the moment around the country. How can this be resolved so that one part of the country is not taking the hit for everything, no matter which type of farming we are talking about? The IFA has looked at the grants that are being proposed at the moment for forestry. Given what we are hearing about the price of land for rent in certain parts of the country at the moment, will it not put an affliction on certain parts of the country with all of the different pressures that are on the entire agricultural sector, including beef, dairy, and forestry? Figures published by the EPA refer to 25,000 to 30,000 ha per year, which is loo-laa stuff given that we are not able to plant 2,000 ha at the moment. Those are dream world figures. We are looking at banding in the dairy sector and at solar panels in other places. Where does the IFA see all of these fitting? How can we square the circle?