Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The logic is Monsanto's. The Minister is moving the goalposts and defining the rules drawn up by the EU. Putting aside protecting even 5% of our land, is it a fact that according to the 2016 assessment of the EPA, agriculture was responsible for 53% of river pollution. That is mostly due to chemicals and fertilisers. We can ignore this and ignore what is coming down the tracks. We can ask what is economically viable and what is good for us economically, see where the money is, all get richer and all be grand. However, there is another day and a future ahead of us which we are ignoring. I do not describe myself as a mad green. I am at least as interested in farming as the Minister. I believe we should make sure that farming will be a powerful industry in this country in the years ahead. I want to enhance it and strengthen it in a way that will not damage the environment at the same time. That is all.

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