Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

Time constraints only permitted me to provide part of the reply. However, the Deputy will have noted my reference to the zero rate for set-aside. It was difficult to justify how land could be set aside when there are shortfalls in grain production. In many ways it is bizarre that grain production rates fell between 2002 and 2006, while there was an increase in total value. I hope that next year we will be able to look back at what happened this year and see an increase in both value and acreage. The 2006 figure for output is 1.355%, while that for 2007 is 1.53%. There will be quite a significant rise. The latter is reflected in the value of the grain produced.

Market forces, which can be a problem at times, will, in this instance, provide the boost we need. The Department is encouraging — our efforts in this regard are bearing fruit — people who have not used the plough for many years to get back behind it and increase their tillage production rates.

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