Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)

I thank Fianna Fáil for putting down this motion, which is very relevant. I also thank the Minister for giving such a comprehensive response. He is doing well so far and, hopefully, he will continue in that direction.

There is a great deal of talk in Ireland at present about how great it would be if oil or gas were found here. At times we forget we already have something far more valuable, that will never run out and that we can generate every year. Perhaps that is our version of oil and gas. I mention this because in my constituency the search for gas could potentially put an end to agriculture in view of the fracking issue, although I will not discuss that now. However, people should be reminded that we have one hell of a resource. We should be proud of it and make use of it.

The Common Agricultural Policy has served some of us well in many ways, but under both the old and the current systems it appears, and I am open to being proven wrong, that certain people benefited a great deal more than others. The idea of protecting small farms and the rural way of life does not appear to be the main priority but rather feathering the nest of people who have plenty of money already and, as Deputy Colreavy hinted, who are not really in the farming industry. They are in something connected with it, but not in the industry. I would like to see that change in whatever changes occur. If the CAP is about protecting small farms and if there is only a certain amount of money to be distributed, it makes sense to give more of it to people who might survive on a 50 acre farm rather than to those on a 1,000 acre farm.

The CAP has served us well with regard to exports and keeping us competitive. However, I hope that in future it will help to develop the local economy as well, through its rural development component. This takes in the greening issue. Surely it is more environmentally friendly for somebody in Roscommon to eat potatoes that are grown in Roscommon. I am not saying one should have to or that we should go down the insular route, but from the environmental point of view it makes far more sense than bringing the potatoes from other parts of the world. In other countries such as France, Germany and Spain one will see local produce being sold locally. That is almost absent in my area.

As I said previously in the House, I conducted a study in my constituency before the general election. I spoke to all the greengrocers and supermarket operators in the area. Between €9 million and €10 million worth of fruit and vegetables are sold in my local area. It is only an estimate but after talking to these shopkeepers I established that only approximately 5% of what is eaten locally is produced locally. Under the CAP reforms more money should be directed towards this area. Obviously, we will not be producing grapefruit or the like but if even 50% of the products were produced locally, it would mean another €4.5 million going into our local economy. The farmer who makes the money does not simply leave it in his pocket. It is spent on other things and the money circulates throughout the local economy.

I do not have much time but I will conclude by pointing out that we should be wary of the greening issue. While I am an environmentalist and believe strongly in it, sometimes people can get a little fundamentalist on the issue. Ireland should be very wary of rushing headlong into this and of thinking that because Europe is giving us this money we had better do what we are told.

From what I can see, from 2013 onwards we will become a net contributor so we do not necessarily need to go in with our heads bowed quite so much in the future. I hope we do not see a situation down the line where people will get payments and then discover, as in the case of one of the battles I am fighting, that if they cut turf next year, they will lose their single farm payment. Will that be a component of greening or will greening be a case of good farm practice? I would like an answer to this question because we cannot establish one.

Under the current single farm payment system, there is a kind of insinuation or a threat that if people cut turf on one of the 55 SAC bogs next year, they will lose part of their payment. We cannot get a definitive answer to that question but would like to get one. It would be good to know it now and for the future. Will this greening prevent us from doing something else? What will be next which we never thought of when we signed up to previous agreements?

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