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

I welcome the consultation which I saw on the website, although we must be quick as people are waiting. It is difficult to make a contribution to the consultation when one does not know the Minister's views. The Minister of State outlined that 1.7% of land in this country is in organic production at the moment. The average in the European Union is 7%. Does he think we should have that level of ambition and that we should grow to meet the European average? We could go further. Should we aim to be like the Italians, Spanish, French or Germans who have up to 20% of their land in organic production? Where are we going? What is the scale of ambition that the Minister seeks to reach? That is what must come first rather than referring to the caveat that it must be within the budget of the rural development fund.

Obviously, it has to be within the budget but it is the Government that sets the ambition. If they are to come back with a consultation against an empty space where there is no clear vision for what the Government wants to do, given that there is significant demand as the Minister of State himself would admit, a significantly growing market and significant benefits in a variety of ways, what is the scale of his ambition for organic farming in Ireland?

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