Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As well as being concerned about the standardisation with regard to bean crops, we should also show concern about the loss of bird life, the loss of invertebrates and the loss of insect life in the State which has been happening continually over a long period of time. We should be concerned that we have one of the lowest levels of organic agriculture despite it being a very lucrative and growing market across the European Union. We should also concern ourselves with looking at the options for saving money, as this scheme does. It proposes setting aside 5% of areas where one would not have to provide so much input and the farmer would actually be able to save money. Instead of doing that, we are positioning Ireland, I admit, with other countries. Other countries, however, at least have large organic areas and large areas where they are not applying any of these pesticides and herbicides. For Ireland to continue with that is doing greater damage than any kind of variation that might exist between one bean grower and another. Not applying the measure in areas of other catch crops, other nitrogen fixing crops or other fallow lands is a missed opportunity. Here was an opportunity to be truly green in our agriculture process and we have missed it again. As a country, we need to restore our green reality and not just use it as a branding tool.

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