Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have it here.

I want to focus in particular on greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture sector. While emissions must be reduced in other areas, we want to keep production at its current level in agriculture. That obviously presents a significant challenge. I have submitted amendments on this. The challenge concerns Harvest 2020, the Common Agricultural Policy greening requirements and the issue of Food Wise. There is great pressure to improve output and I certainly want to see strong beef and dairy sectors. The question we have tried to reflect in the amendments concerns how to keep agriculture strong without exceeding the imposed limits.

We need to consider restarting the beet industry. It was closed down in 2006 and 2007, unfortunately. This was very much an incorrect decision. Bearing in mind the great pressure to improve output, if we rely too much on the beef and dairy sectors, whatever Government is in power will end up buying carbon credits. They do not come cheap, never mind the damage we would be doing to the environment. Let us keep a good, strong beef and dairy sector but remember it has its limits in terms of farm expansion and production expansion. Beet is an excellent cash crop and break crop. It is a very sustainable crop for crop rotation, particularly with barley. Beet Ireland estimates that we import sugar products worth approximately €400 million. Beet has enormous potential to be of help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike cattle production, beet production does not result in greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the beet crop has the advantage of being a valuable carbon sink because it is a covering crop with big, broad leaves, certainly for the second half of its growth. This issue needs to be addressed.

See this speech in context