Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)

Tá áthas orm freisin cúpla focal a rá ar an páipéir Food Harvest 2020. "It is an ill wind that does not blow some good" is an old saying in the country. In this instance, the good blown by the economic crisis is that it has returned agricultural production to its key role. It is important to the Irish, European and global economies. The ongoing CAP reform presents another opportunity. In the process of the reform, we must be mindful of the importance of food production and food security in Ireland, Europe and the world.

I welcome the document as published and its targets. It returns agriculture to an important role. Some of its targets are to increase the primary output of agriculture, fisheries and forestry by €1.5 billion, a 33% increase on the 2007-09 period, and increase the value added output of agricultural food, fisheries and woodland products by €3 billion, representing a 40% increase on the 2007-09 period. It also sets an export target of €12 billion for the sector, a 42% increase on the 2007-09 period.

Other parts of the document bring challenges to mind. Last year, the value of Irish food and drink exports declined by 12%, just under €1 billion, to €7.12 billion. Setting targets for increased production in the years up to 2020 in a year in which exports declined means the increase will not be easily achieved. Targets must be reached and much work must be done. However, the outlook is positive. Given world population trends, a population expansion of 40% has been forecasted. As such, food production must increase by 40% by 2030 and by 70% by 2050. Combined with this are other opportunities, such as the production of agricultural crops for the alternative fuel and bio-energy sectors and for the production of electricity through anaerobic digestion. There are huge, wonderful and challenging opportunities for the agricultural community in the years ahead to 2020 and this document helps to focus on that. We must also strike a warning, however, when we speak on food security and food scarcity. The land to be made available for alternative energy crops poses a risk to food security and production. There is an important balance to be achieved in that respect which will require new awareness and a new ability on the part of legislators and Government as we move into the future.

When we set those challenges and look at the opportunities we must be very mindful of what has happened in the past and how we will protect agricultural Ireland and, in particular, the 128,000 holdings in the country. We see some of the mistakes that happened and the difficulties that exist and must get our own house in order. I give the example of economic pressure on farming at present and the single farm payment for which the date has come and gone leaving many people unpaid. There is the disadvantaged area scheme for which many farmers have not been paid yet. These are farmers who have entered into obligations with their bankers and creditors and with co-ops. We must be more professional and deliver those payments on the agreed date, in full and on time. To give the digitisation of maps as a reason for delays is simply not good enough. It is unprofessional and a bad way of running our business. These payments should have been made correctly since the previous payments of last year and should have been paid throughout the spring and summer. It should not be left until farmers are about to be paid. Serious questions hang over that.

I refer to the farm waste management scheme which the Government cut in order to achieve savings. It was not included in the McCarthy report because the cuts were made prior to that report. The Government also closed the REPS 4 environmental programme and replaced it with an agri-environmental option scheme, AEOS, after some delay. That will save €20 million this year. We all welcome savings but not at the expense of driving farmers off the land.

The nitrates directive is a very important part of the CAP negotiations but when left to our Government to implement it we are sadly lacking. This week is a prime example. Farmers cannot spread slurry this week in Ireland but in Northern Ireland they can do so. This is one of the best weeks we have had this year but we cannot go out and spread slurry. When 2 January comes, however, farmers can go out and spread away even if it is spilling rain, or there is a foot of snow on the ground or a flood forecast. We must look at the calendar farming issue. We should be driven by environmental and weather factors not by calendar dates. This is another area in which we need to improve.

The future of industry is its youth, the young people, the farmers of tomorrow. We must look at the farm gate schemes which were slashed by the Minister in recent years. I refer to the installation and farm retirement schemes, the disadvantaged area scheme and rural environment protection schemes, REPS, all of which were slashed. This poses a serious question concerning the good of agriculture. We must examine that. If we are to achieve our targets for 2020 we need to look at some of the mistakes and awful things we have done to farming in the past.

This expert group and Teagasc must become more proactive in finding solutions to some of the problems I mentioned, namely, agriculture-related problems and the issues that are reducing farm productivity, production and output. The malting barley and feeding barley sector depend on Teagasc or the experts to come up with a way in which increased nitrogen levels can be used to increase production. We need that increased production if we are to become competitive with our rivals, especially those in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. We also need to look again at restrictions in regard to the calendar months. Look at the restrictions in winter ploughing and green cover, for example. It is crazy that there are times of the year when one cannot plough although the weather is ideal for ploughing or drilling. If the weather turns bad and ploughing is not feasible people desperately try to do it and get in crops in order to reach deadlines. I would like the Minister of State to explain that to me. People living in the North of Ireland can spread slurry but if one lives one field on the other side of the Border one is in trouble as it is illegal to spread it. One could end up in jail, never mind losing the farm payments which are so vital to Ireland and the farming community.

On the positive side, one can look at the targets for protection which must send a signal of confidence and give hope to farmers. One can take the point of view that food harvesting targets for 2020 give a 50% increase in output for dairy, a 20% increase in beef production and 50% in pig production. Those are massive figures which give hope and confidence. However, if we do not have young people coming into agriculture serious questions are posed.

I intended to mention organic farming and other points but do not have enough time. I shall finish on the subject of bureaucracy and red tape. The report advocates reducing the burden of red tape on business and lays major emphasis on competitiveness. Three years after promising to reduce unnecessary costs of business compliance by €500 million, only 4% of this promise has been achieved by the Government. That is in the report. Agri-food business has been strangled by duplication and overlapping of compliance measures which need to be addressed urgently. My fear is that although this is a great report the Government has neither the confidence nor the ability to drive it and achieve its aims.

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