Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 April 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Antitrust Guidelines for Sustainability Agreements in Agriculture: Discussion

Photo of Michael FitzmauriceMichael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Ms Jany-Roskova's presentation stated:

What objectives may be covered under the sustainability agreements to benefit from the exclusion? The objectives are laid down in Article 210a and involve: climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as environmental protection; reduction of pesticide use and antimicrobial resistance; and animal health and welfare.

Some of the stuff done in Europe does not take into account the type of landscape where people produce food in all our countries. The difference between land in Germany and land in parts of Ireland is like chalk and cheese. I come from a part of the west of Ireland where there is a thing called rushes. If a farmer is not using sprays to try to keep them at bay, their land will go out of control because our land quality is not good. With a lot of these sustainability programmes coming in, some of those people feel they are nearly pushed out of the system by EU directives or legislation.