Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is an important point and the Deputy has made a valid contribution. The situation is that our profile in terms of what we produce and can produce from the agri-sector is disproportionate to other countries. No other country, with the exceptions of New Zealand, Uruguay and, to an extent, Denmark, match Ireland's profile in this regard. The point is that the targets set for Ireland of a 20% reduction by 2020 on 2005 figures are not realisable. They are not realisable because the European Commission overestimated the extent of what could come from the agriculture sector and the fact we have had a lost decade of investment in research, innovation and changes to deal with this.

Whatever the level possible of our achievements by 2020, what we need is not a way out nor an escape clause but an understanding that we will meet targets that are achievable, fair and sustainable. However, we are going to need some time to do that from 2020. If the current situation applies and the 2020 targets - which we will not be able to meet - are imposed on Ireland, whoever is in government in the years between 2020 and 2030 could suffer very serious fines. My point is that while we will not be able to meet all of the targets set for 2020, as the economy improves we will be able to catch up much more rapidly than others because we are doing the research and bringing in innovative smart technology in the agri-sector. Also, the fact is that we can produce so much more high quality food to feed people in other places and the research and the technology that we use can be transferred to others.

I listened to a view expressed this morning that the 45,000 beef farms we have in this country, whose carbon footprints are now all being calculated, should be planted with forestry instead. If we followed that line of logic, we would decrease the capacity to produce food by thousands of tonnes and would transfer the opportunity for more rain forests to be demolished and levelled for food to be produced to inferior standards with much higher emissions. Balance and common sense is required here. I am all for ambitious targets but I want targets that we can achieve. In that sense, we need to have some hard bargaining to reach an understanding with the European Commission within the next fortnight. These targets will be set down by mid-February and once set down, they will be exceptionally difficult to change.

For the reasons I have given, what was put on Ireland's plate when these targets were set originally is not acceptable to me or to the Government because they are unachievable. We want to achieve targets that are fair and sustainable and which take into account what we can supply to other countries in terms of education, research, innovation, knowledge and food.

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