Mr. Thomas Ryan:

I thank Deputy Mythen. I am in agreement with Mr. Cronin. All of us in the co-ops are operating a lean model on our production sites. We are focused in the first instance on reducing our water usage and then, as Mr. Cronin articulated, on the basis of reducing, reusing and recycling. That is very much the model against which we KPI and benchmark ourselves on the water side. Similarly, on the carbon reduction side, we have carbon reduction targets and objectives out to 2030. They are very much aligned with the science based target initiative, SBTI, and in the case of Tirlán, working with organisations like Carbon Trust.

The Deputy is right, and no one knows more than Tirlán of the challenges when it comes to planning. In the context of the increasing level of opposition to planning applications that farmers are putting in, farmers are also experiencing quite a delay in terms of the time lag between submitting an application and a request for further information coming back to them, often close to the end of the application. What would be helpful would be measures like when you apply the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, the area is lined up regarding planning not being a requirement. There should also be a defined timeline that a local authority adheres to in terms of granting planning permission. We know the deadline around 1 January 2026 in the context of the derogation. Again, this word certainly keeps returning. A defined timeline around local authorities responding to planning applications would be very helpful and would provide a higher level of certainty when applications go in.