Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I share the concerns of Deputies Doyle and Sherlock. We need to join up our thinking on climate change policy and the future of CAP. Teagasc and other institutes have been conducting research on methane gas emission from livestock and grasses. I have consistently raised with the Council of Ministers the need to ensure that the EU's proposal to the Copenhagen summit gives due cognisance to the importance of food security. Along with New Zealand, our food production system is regarded as the most efficient in the world. If we produce food efficiently, our production base should not be weakened in the context of a growing population and increasing global demands. We have already brought these issues to the table in respect of the future of CAP and the debate on climate change.

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