Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Martin Ferris, who could not be present to welcome the discussion on this report. I compliment the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Andrew Doyle, who presented the report today, all the members of the joint committee and all those who participated in the debate on this very important issue.

I represent one of the few constituencies which does not have a working farm, although the Irish Farmers Association recently relocated its headquarters in my constituency. The IFA is important to the future of farming in Ireland.

The joint committee made a constructive decision last year to make the issue of land use a priority for examination because the issue affects every last person on the island. The land is close to the hearts of people. None of us is more than a couple of generations from active farming and many of those who are not engaged in farming, including many Deputies, live in rural communities and benefit from farming. Those of us who live in urban areas also benefit from farming. If there was a greater understanding in urban areas of the difficulties and challenges facing farming, some people would take a different attitude.

The joint committee examined the issue of long-term planning. It is not easy to turn around the juggernaut of agriculture because change is a long process that needs careful consideration. The report before us highlights the need to take decisions now that will affect farming in future. The committee set itself the task of investigating how best to maximise the benefits we can secure from our agricultural land, while meeting the targets set in the Food Harvest 2020 plans, maintaining sustainability and meeting European Union environmental targets. It will not be easy to meet these different and competing demands. Achieving growth in the agri-food sector under Food Harvest 2020 will make it difficult to meet EU environmental targets or strengthen our ability to deal with climate change. We must not exacerbate climate change when increasing productivity on farms.

The report contains good research and seeks compatibility with national and European Union policy. The EU is preparing a land use directive aimed at dealing with the challenges facing agriculture, including food security and sustainability. This report is, therefore, both appropriate and timely. It sets out the challenges and demands facing the farming sector and I hope the Minister will not view it as a challenge but as an addition to what the Department will have heard. The report is accessible to anyone who wishes to take the time to read it.

I hope Ireland's voice, as reflected in the report, will be heard in the European Union. We want our concerns to be taken into consideration now, rather than finding ten years from now that we should have been more involved in the process of formulating directives emanating from Brussels.

In compiling this report, the joint committee made a genuine attempt to pull together all the stakeholders. It held a number of hearings and availed of the expertise of Coillte and Teagasc. I compliment the work done by the Oireachtas Library and Research Service and the committee support staff in the preparation of the report.

When it comes down to it, the people who will or will not meet the challenges for the future are those working the land, the farmers and those involved in the agrifood business who hold such valuable potential for our future growth. Without the support of the farming community and support at farm level, we are nothing. There is a vital role for the Government in maintaining the support of the farmers of Ireland for the success of the industry, for its sustainability into the future and for the ability to pass it on to the next generations.

The targets - increased food and general agri-production - will be difficult to achieve while keeping our environmental targets in mind. The use of technology will be invaluable and the reluctance of farmers, in some cases, to use it is no different from that of many in urban areas who are afraid of new technology but, thankfully, it is decreasing. Young farmers, in particular, have a greater understanding of the advantages of new technologies and many, who are older than me, have embraced technology on the farm to benefit themselves and, I hope, to the benefit of the future of farming. Training and upskilling must be a part of any plan to reach those targets. That is a challenge for Teagasc, the Department and the farmers in terms of food production and in how we deal with the reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions targets set for us. The use of the carbon navigator, for instance, should be encouraged across the board.

Farmers must avail of the grant aid for afforestation as a carbon sequestration measure for the cultivation of bio-energy crops, as mentioned by Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív, and comply with existing legislation and regulation such as the nitrates directive.

The Food Harvest 2020 policy, which is intended to involve smart green growth, means increased production across various agricultural sectors. Sustainability and environmental protection are very challenging but the goals must be reached in order to be compliant with our current EU environmental obligations which may change in the future. This is another reason we have to be fully involved in Brussels in the formulation of directives and not find ourselves in trouble in the decades to come through a lack of foresight. We must understand the targets now but also what are realistic targets for the Irish agriculture industry in the future.

The abolition of milk quotas has given rise to anticipation of growth of at least 30% in our dairy industry and some estimates are even greater. The emissions associated with such growth must be compensated by a very strong environmental programme, including carbon sequestration. The danger is that with the increase of the dairy herd and the subsequent increase in emissions, there will be pressure on suckler farmers to reduce the herd to compensate. This would not be acceptable considering the suckler herd's contribution to the beef industry not just in farming, but in other jobs in the beef industry which it necessitates. The Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, or his successor, needs to engage continuously with the European Union, especially in regard to climate change mitigation, the fact that our beef is produced in a very environmentally friendly way compared to other nations and the vital role it plays in agriculture on this island.

We have to move towards carbon-neutral farming while not compromising our capacity for sustainable food production. More and more the suspicion is being expressed by farmers and commentators that the European Union is intent on reducing our beef herd. Negotiations are taking place between the European Union and the Mercosur countries regarding beef imports to the EU and there are also the implications in regard to TTIP, which could be damaging and of which we need to be aware. We do not want the Government to lie down in Brussels when negotiations are taking place that could affect Irish farming and land use. The challenge for the Minister of State and the Department is to ensure, as somebody said, that the green jersey is worn but, in particular, those of farmers and all associated industries. The Government needs to stand up for Irish beef farmers and the future of the Irish agricultural industry in a responsible way.

In many ways, the land question was central to the Irish revolutionary cause pre-1916 and afterwards, and we must always be conscious of the relationship between the Irish people and the land. There is a positive way forward for the use of land in Ireland and for Irish farming which involves compliance with our environmental obligations, improving the quality of our water and preventing further biodiversity losses, but at the same time, grant aid must be increased and maintained and the environmental schemes properly administered to maintain and increase their effectiveness.

I am glad this report has been brought before the House and I hope the discussion on it does not end here because that is the challenge for any report from a committee. Much time, work and effort is put in by committee members and sometimes a report gets a hearing in the House but then sits on a shelf. This is one of those reports that should not sit on a shelf. The Minister of State and the Department must take note of what is contained in it because it is a good report.

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